Alice’s Review: Supernatural 11.02, “Form and Void” aka Dark vs. Light
“In the beginning, there was only dark. You ask me, the light’s winning.”
Okay, you got me. I snagged that line from “True Detective.” Still, isn’t is appropriate? The phrase “form and void” comes from the bible, the second chapter of Genesis. “And the earth was ‘formless and void’ and the darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” Given what we saw in this second episode of season eleven, it looks like we’re starting over with Genesis. The battle between darkness and light, good vs. evil, sin vs. purification. We’re in for a heck of a ride.
Looking back at seasons nine and ten, “Supernatural” hasn’t had a lot of luck in weaving multiple stories together. A lot of times one will stand out while the others turn out to be slow filler. That is not the case at all with “Form and Void.” All three stories stood out and blended together perfectly. Each one had a purpose and played a major role in building the new storyline. Not once did I look at my watch or wonder why my time was being wasted with a secondary character when there’s a Winchester in peril in the A plot. Not that I wouldn’t have been happy with an hour of Sam struggling with the idea that he’s about to die, but what we got was good as well.
As things progressed I got more engrossed in the outcome, and by the thrilling end the theme was clear, where there is darkness there is light. Light is not a half bad thing when you’re a Winchester. Let’s look at each individual story, from dark to light.
Dean, Crowley, and Rosemary’s Baby
“Whatever’s in that house, I can taste the power radiating from it. That thing, it’s old…deep…dark.”
Out of all the stories, this one went in the darkest direction. I get the gist was supposed to be some creepy Rosemary’s Baby type story, but that was all just a fun disguise for what was really happening. The Darkness, aka Amara, is going through her own form of creation, starting from birth and growing strong.
The story ended up being the next chapter of the Crowley and Dean dynamic. It also rightly put Crowley back on top. This is the Crowley I know and love and it’s a great twist that he often shows up to perform exorcisms, if anything to earn a few favors. Crowley’s interest in Amara is intriguing and we’re left wondering what does he actually plan to do with this girl? Why does he want that child so much? Is this his way to building leverage over what’s happening in the cage? Everything Crowley has done is for conquest and power, all while staying ten steps ahead of the enemy. Whatever his plan for Amara, I doubt it’s to bring peace and balance to the universe.
Then there’s Dean, on the opposite end of Crowley’s agenda, and what’s happening with him is a little less defined. He’s definitely been affected by Amara and has taken the role of her protector. As soon as he got the call from Jenna that something was wrong he raced back. Crowley noticed Dean’s bond with the baby and I suspect that’s the reason why he didn’t take Dean out. That and he still can’t find himself to kill a Winchester. Dean wasn’t about to let Crowley get near that baby, even knowing that she was Amara because he saw the Mark on the child. He tried to kill Crowley, but then stopped himself. Is he under her control? Was what he saw in the clouds a vision or was it real?
That does raise the question, just how evil is Amara? The angels fear her, the demons are in a stir, she brought a plague that killed humans, but does that make her truly evil? The power that Crowley sensed, is it a power that is opposite of God? Or perhaps she is really God and God and the archangels were the evil ones? After all, they show no love or mercy for humanity (most of the time anyway). What sort of God abandons those that need him? Maybe she would love humans the way that God didn’t? I have a feeling they aren’t going to go that far. It’s a pretty hard act to sell. I heard Carver say “hero of her own story.” Isn’t that true of everyone? Maybe it boils down to, which hero do you believe in?
I’ll tell you what I didn’t like. Why kill both Jenna and her grandmother? Isn’t this supposed to be a saving people thing this year? Redemption story anyone? Their deaths seemed unnecessary and pointless. It goes with my criticism that what’s the point of devoting any time to these people’s stories, wasting valuable Winchester screen time, if they’re just going to off them willy nilly. Andrew Dabb is most notorious for just randomly killing people off and it’s a tactic I’ve never cared for. Deaths need to enhance the story. Just like with last season’s “The Prisoner” and other countless episodes, it meant nothing. Also, she eats souls? Oh man, didn’t this story line already happen once? Famine anyone? I must admit that twist just fell flat for me.
Castiel
“What are you?” “I’m an angel of the Lord.”
Poor Castiel, still torn between his love of the Winchesters and his loyalty to his brethren. He is the light in a dark and corrupted Heaven, still maintaining faith in his mission. He’s burned so many bridges with Heaven though he’ll never be able to go back. It’s “The End” becoming a reality.
Last week we got to hear how the arrival of The Darkness has shaken up Hell, this week its Heaven’s perspective. Oh, they’re freaked. It’s such a crucial matter for them that dewy-eyed Hannah #2 came back to earth, defying her previous wishes to occupy another vessel. I adored the man love going on between Hannah in that vessel and Castiel. What was great though is Castiel isn’t stupid. Even with all that pain and torture, he knew that it was a “good cop/bad cop” ploy to learn the whereabouts of the Winchesters.
The question is why? Did the angels want to find Sam and Dean for revenge on letting out The Darkness? Do they think Sam and Dean hold some sort of key to controlling it? Do they know Dean is bound to Amara? Is there something else they knew about the brothers that they didn’t reveal? So why was finding Sam and Dean so important?
In Hannah’s conversation with Castiel, he/she was trying to find out if the rumors were really true about The Darkness being released. Once Castiel confirmed, her/his terror was very real. It’s a callback to “Lazarus Rising” when the panicked demon saw an angel for the first time and had her eyes burnt out. She said the same thing as Hannah, it’s the end for all of them. Yet her end came from one of her own brothers, not The Darkness. So who is really evil? Why are the angels so scared? Given the fact that angels so far have been proved to be shallow, human hating dicks, why do we care? Maybe Amara’s arrival will finally fix Heaven?
Sam
Oh Sammy. Sam’s story was pretty damn spectacular, wasn’t it? Where Dean and Castiel’s stories were dark, Sam’s was all about light. His struggle brought a tears to my eyes and was definitely my favorite of the three. The possibilities his story set up! It’s huge. Every one of his scenes were gold because it captured so well the gravity of the situation. Even from the beginning the terror was high and I loved the scene with the infected man who stated the obvious, the very words that emanated from Sam’s fearful looks: “Liar! You and me, we’re dead. We’re just taking our sweet time about it. If you were smart, you’d put a bullet in me, then eat one yourself.”
Sam didn’t expect to live. He just didn’t want to die until he helped others. He stopped himself in telling the “bite me” man that he would survive this. “I’m gonna fix this,” was his choice of words. That desperation to prevent more human suffering by his hands forced Sam to go a different way and it shocked us all. He prayed to God and actually got a sign. Whoa, what’s going on here? God has been notably absent for a while. Why now? Just like that chapter in Genesis, the spirit of God is still very much alive. It was seen with the introduction of Billie the Reaper. That reaper can sing! I hope every time she appears from now on she sings “O Death.” The visual of the shadow of her hand reaching out to touch the shadow of the dead man’s hand showed that despite everything, she is doing God’s work. She is delivering souls, whether Death is gone or not. She is doing so with mercy and grace. It’s another memorable and mind blowing introduction of a new character.
Her speech to Sam though is chilling and very grave. She did everything to crush Sam’s hope and spirit, knowing he was on the brink of death. Was that possibly the disease talking, so her presence was imagined by Sam, or was Billie truly delivering a stern message from beyond? She told him that when he and Dean die next time, not only will it stick, but they aren’t getting that afterlife. They’ll be tossed into “the empty.” That phrase is a welcome label to a long sticking issue. Fans have been asking actors and producers for years what happens when angels and demons, monsters in purgatory, and souls that just disappear (aka John and Mary) go. “The Empty” works for me. There is no coming back from there – lost forever with no hope of return. It’s a very dark and unsettling thought and the idea that Sam and Dean could end up there adds a new, real threat to their lives. It’s delivers the message that whatever they do with their time on this earth, it matters.
Yet despite her warning, which is likely coming from another source, she left Sam with a big clue. He’s unclean, in a biblical sense. Whatever Billie’s words, it shook Sam so much that he went to a place that he hasn’t been in years. The last we heard that Sam prayed was season two. I knew from the previews that Sam was going to pray, but after seeing it I wonder what clicked inside of him that made him go that route. I remember him saying in “99 Problems” that he believed that God exists, but that he’s not listening. Sam’s been in some pretty desperate hours since then and hasn’t turned to a higher power, probably because everything he’s experienced told him he and Dean are alone in this crappy world.
The whole scene of Sam privately pouring out his heart to God brought me to tears. It’s so long since we’ve seen Sam this raw, this vulnerable, this openly honest. He’s had emotional moments, but honesty and true expression is something that doesn’t come easy from Sam. Every bit from that plea came from deep in his heart. He’s definitely not this open with Dean, or anyone. Sure it was likely the desperate act of a dying man, one that didn’t want to leave business unfinished, but to see one of the brothers take a giant leap of faith for once is inspiring and touching.
Was it God or Sam’s subconscious that triggered that debilitating memory of Hell, dropping Sam to his knees? I say given the timing, and how Sam has done everything in his power to forget Hell, that some sort of higher power intervened. I love Sam’s yell of frustration though. “What does that mean?” He’s dying, tired, desperate, and not in the mood for games. I had no doubt that Sam would eventually figure it out but purification by burning holy oil? It seemed a bit too convenient to me. Wow, guess who just happens to carry holy oil in his bag? The voices telling him to stop was an interesting touch, again leaving us to question just how much of what he saw was real.
Who is this Billie really, assuming she was real? Is she taking orders from someone specific (like maybe Death who isn’t really dead). Is this going to inspire Sam to pray more in the future, turn to something greater than him in his mission to save people? Getting a win in this case had to feel good and if anything he moves forward with hope. That’s a lot more than he had before this incident. I wouldn’t call this a full redemption, but it’s a good start. Where there is dark there is light.
The Red Headed Monster
I have an issue with the way some aspects of the plot played out, and it only contributed to a problem that has gotten more glaring as time goes on. We had this discussion over dinner at Toronto Con, but this episode did give very compelling evidence for one thing. Carver and company are essentially re-writing the first five or six seasons and a lot of what happens can be tied to events from other seasons. Just look at what was given to us in this episode:
- There’s the BTD (Black Throat Death). That is Croatoan virus from season two and five.
- The villain is a little girl. See Lilith, seasons three and four.
- Sam fell to his knees after a Sam got the vision of Hell. Seasons six and seven.
- Sam turned to his faith in a desperate time. Season two.
- God gave Sam a sign. God has been incommunicado since season five, but now he’s back (maybe.)
- The angels are scared that this is the end. Parallel with the demons, season four.
- Sam is seeking redemption. Season five.
- Sam requiring purification. Seasons 1-5, but really it did happen in season 8.
- The bad guy is consuming souls. See season six (and I think nine as well).
- Castiel and the brain probing helmet, season nine.
- Sam and Dean have a renewed purpose. Season five, which seems to be the big winner this round.
So what is Carver, Dabb, and company trying to accomplish with all these parallels? Is this all supposed to be a clue that perhaps Sam and Dean aren’t in reality? Maybe this is all a dream? Will these parallels all lead to a purpose, or is it just something diversion-y to see if fans are paying attention? Is it brilliance or lazy writing? Time will only tell but given how obvious the clues were, I’d be very disappointed if they amounted to nothing.
Stray Thoughts
Who loved watching Sam “MacGyver” the stun gun from parts from the hardware store? I’m not sure how many know, but one of Jared’s early acting roles was the pilot for “Young MacGyver.” Talk about coming full circle.
Kudos to Dabb remembering continuity and the MOL bunker library still being a mess after the events at the end of last season. I love continuity.
Best Quote: “I’m sorry Agent Pathetic-has-been-rock-star. Did I offend your delicate sensibilities?” I’m so glad wisecracking Crowley is back.
Since they’re on the subject of purification, one thing I wish they would address that would end the countless speculation that I keep reading is Sam and his demon blood. From what I know, Sam was purified of the demon blood during the trials. That was stated in “The Great Escapist.” No, he didn’t finish the trials, but the trials were to end in his death. His purification still happened through the illness. It burned his organs, aka the purification. The comment was made a couple of times during my interviews at Comic Con that the demon blood was no longer in play. No, it wasn’t a flat out “The trials purified Sam” or “When he was possessed by Gadreel he was cleansed” (I’m very certain it’s the former), but from what I understand, this isn’t coming up again. I know this show is often guilty of leaving breadcrumbs more than flat out saying things, but from every impression I’ve gotten so far demon blood in Sam is old news.
All in all, a very exciting and enjoyable hour. I give Mr. Dabb an A, despite the obvious parallels to prior seasons that could likely go nowhere. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that this might all lead to something because I was so damned entertained. Next week, the dreaded Brad and Eugenie script. I’ll try my best to be objective, but all it’ll take is one bad line for me to be chucking tv bricks in extreme frustration. They have a knack for triggering my short fuse. Let’s see if what we get remotely follows continuity. I just might be happy with that.
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
Reading this and I had to get it out before I forgot. The scene where Billies shadow is reaching out to the dead rabid reminded me of that famous fresco painting by Michelangelo, “The Creation of Adam”. I apologize if you pointed that out later in your piece. Maybe Billie isn’t who she says either? God? Another manifestation of The Darkness? A reaper influenced by God? That was just such an incredible shot! Okay, back to where I left off now… 😉
Good write up! I too hope they don’t do a revisit to the demon blood storyline. Unless they can come up with a really, and I mean really, creative way to reintroduce it and not have it just be a replay of the first go round then I’d rather they not.
I’m not sure a lot of these are intentional parallels as much as – damn, we’ve just about covered everything in 10 years, it’s going to be hard not to cross over old ideas! I mean, don’t you think it might be nit picking it a little when one of your compari sons is Sam falling to his knees after a vision of Hell? Or Sam seeking redemption, the brother’s having a renewed purpose, Sam turning to his faith? I don’t see these as repeats so much as I’m surprised in 10 seasons it hasn’t happened more often? God giving Sam a sign. That’s kinda new. Some things on the list granted could be lazy rewrites or it may turn out to be a clever tie back to earlier seasons. Whose to say until it plays all the way out. Let’s face it “The Darkness”? Hardly original. What show hasn’t visited this idea at one time or another? Okay, not Bones or Castle or NCIS… yet, though the way they are going… 😉
Loved the Crowley Dean snark fest. I thought it interesting when after impaling Crowleys hand like a bug Dean clearly was considering killing him but then went off to take care of Amara – like he ever would have been able to do that, thrall or no thrall – and when he came back down the hall and was rounding the corner into the room where Crowley was “trapped” if you listen Dean starts to say something starting with “You”- but it’s in a normal conversational voice, not a killer growl or deep range. It was almost as if he were going to ask Crowley a question or tell him something rather than gut him. Whether Dean likes it or not there is a connection between he and Crowley and I think if he ever did off him it would be just as Cain said. Mixed feelings. I personally can’t get enough of those two. I love how they convey just standing there looking at each other not even speaking that there is all this unspoken history between them – that time as DemonDean is ever present. Mark and Jensen are so perfect together.
I also loved how the final scene where Dean and Sam came down the stairs walking into bunker central you could feel the weight of their weariness. While they were unloading their crap onto the table – the weight of what they had just gone through – not just their fatigue, felt almost tangible. Kudos J2!
[quote]Good write up! I too hope they don’t do a revisit to the demon blood storyline. Unless they can come up with a really, and I mean really, creative way to reintroduce it and not have it just be a replay of the first go round then I’d rather they not. [/quote]
I agree 😀
[quote]I mean, don’t you think it might be nit picking it a little when one of your comparisons is Sam falling to his knees after a vision of Hell?[/quote]
He fell over backwards with his last vision of hell. Now he falls forward. xD
Thankyou Alice again a lovely review. I also agree with all Alycat said as well especially ———-
I also loved how the final scene where Dean and Sam came down the stairs walking into bunker central you could feel the weight of their weariness. While they were unloading their crap onto the table – the weight of what they had just gone through – not just their fatigue, felt almost tangible. Kudos J2!
The Boys have REALLY UPED the body & facial expressions this season BEAUTIFUL
One thing I am disappointed with however is WFB == when I can’t work something out or don’t understand I come here for perspective & some insight into my confusion Now guys YOU HAVE LET ME DOWN !! I still have no clue whats going on LOL :D:D:D:D:D
The show so far is fantastic and I have already watched Ep1 – Ep2 more than twice, looking for hints or ideas as to whats happening. NOTHING — That Amara women is annoying Is she the darkness showing herself as a future vision so Dean relizes he needs to protect Baby (for 5min /now young child) or is she someone else. Now I don’t think this is a spoiler but ******* ALERT ALERT
In the next Ep/Ep3 ? they describe her as a femme fatal with a acid tongue (Amara) I’m soooooooooo confused WFB please help This dummy to understand
hi Alice, my grade for this ep’s is a C. some i liked, some i didnt like. we’ll see for next week
Thank you Alice! I so wish the SPN writers read this review of yours, I’m sure they would thank you too for the deposit of brilliant ideas. I’d personally love Good Darkness versus her (or its?) Left Hand. Maybe somebody remembers that absolutely fabulous novel by Ursula LeGuin (The Left Hand of Darkness), though as she saw it dark and light can’t do without one another.
And as to all those references to previous seasons I think, alas, it’s laziness, or probably the authors consider it as consistency, like “See guys we do remember what happened before”. Which is good.
I enjoyed your review as always, and as always I had a slightly different perspective on a couple of issues. The effectiveness of the holy oil as a cure actually makes sense to me. After all, up to this point the angels have been the most powerful creatures other than God and the horsemen, and holy oil has been the one thing that can immobilize them or harm them, even archangels. That holy oil molotov cocktail was even able to burn away Michael’s meatsuit. So I thought its use in this ep fit with canon about it (although I agree with the comments on another thread about how odd it is that it’s seemingly easily available to the brothers in large quantities!)
I also thought the shout outs to themes and events from earlier seasons is a long overdue recognition that those events happened, that they actually had meaning as more than mere plot devices, and that they continue to inform the events that are happening now. I see it as continuity more than repetition. I think one problem the past few years is that Carver’s quest to do things differently has resulted in huge violations of canon and some wildly OOC actions by the brothers. I kind of agree with Alycat that it’s surprising that these parallels to the earlier seasons haven’t happened more often. And if those parallels give us the Sam scenes from this ep (which I agree were the most riveting scenes!) then bring em on.However, I do agree with you and njspnfan that the idea of souls as food/power source for some beings is starting to feel a little tired. I would give the ep an A++:)
[quote]The whole scene of Sam privately pouring out his heart to God brought me to tears. [/quote]
I guess I’m soulless. I didn’t cry. 🙁
[quote]I had no doubt that Sam would eventually figure it out but purification by burning holy oil? It seemed a bit too convenient to me. Wow, guess who just happens to carry holy oil in his bag? The voices telling him to stop was an interesting touch, again leaving us to question just how much of what he saw was real. [/quote]
That was my first reaction to the cure. It wasn’t long enough! It was rushed and too convenient. Likely to make room for the other two stories happening at the same time. Maybe they should of cut down on Cas’s scenes? I don’t know. It was a good episode but I felt Sam needed more air time, just more time on that cure. We didn’t even see any struggles with the pyscho side effect of the infection.
[quote]The comment was made a couple of times during my interviews at Comic Con that the demon blood was no longer in play. No, it wasn’t a flat out “The trials purified Sam” or “When he was possessed by Gadreel he was cleansed” (I’m very certain it’s the former), but from what I understand, this isn’t coming up again. I know this show is often guilty of leaving breadcrumbs more than flat out saying things, but from every impression I’ve gotten so far demon blood in Sam is old news. [/quote]
I will never accept the trials purifying him. What a terrible, poorly written way to end something that has so much impact in the Kripke seasons.
[quote]I will never accept the trials purifying him. What a terrible, poorly written way to end something that has so much impact in the Kripke seasons.[/quote]
Agreed Yellow, whole heartedly agreed!. Sam said “These trials, they are purifying me.” Present tense and unresolved. The trials WERE purifying him but we never got any confirmation in any way if that was ever resolved. He didn’t finish the trials that were purifying him and it was never mentioned again, so how can we know if the purification was complete? We don’t. To me this is one of the worst dropped plot lines in the show’s history. Sam’s demon blood was the issue that pretty much launched the entire series. It deserves more than a passing and unresolved mention in a single episode and to be ignored since. I hope that Sam being unclean “in the biblical sense” is in fact about remnants of his demon blood and that the demon blood becomes key to his finding a solution to TheD. That whole story needs addressing and resolution IMO.
Enjoyed this episode; it was engaging throughout with none of the usual lulls that happen with the secondary and/or tertiary storylines. The show has struggled with this, particularly over the past couple of seasons, so fingers crossed they can keep this up. I give the two parter a solid B.
My take on the reapers is that they will continue to do their jobs, just as angels did when “Dad left the building”. However, just as with angels, especially after Michael got locked in the cage with Lucifer, there’s no one to keep them in line so this “do our job” mantra won’t last for long. Really liked Billie the reaper and hope we see more of her. Her warning to Sam that his and Dean’s souls would get lost in the big empty upped the ante, though I’m not sure if God will go along with that as he has interceded on their behalf in the past.
Sam’s brief visions were interesting; looks like all roads lead to the cage and a talk with Michael and/or Lucifer. I hope Sam and Dean are the ones that visit the cage, and not just Crowley. Talk about your awkward family road trips.
The holy oil cure for BTD worked for me; sure beat the Borax solution to the Leviathan problem and, given what holy oil can do to other Supernatural creatures, it’s canon friendly. Though, Sam and Dean do seem to have an endless supply of it.
Some of the repeated themes are okay and it’s inveitable that this happens over the course of an 11 year old series. I was worried about the concept of Amara/The Darkness consuming souls like so many others have over the years (Crocotta, Famine, Godstiel, Abaddon harvesting souls, etc.), but got to thinking; souls are a great source of power in the Supernatural universe; angels can tap in to them, MoL can time travel using the power of their own souls, Abaddon was going to use them to raise an army, Castiel borrowed souls from Crowley to take on Rafael, Castiel became God-like for a while by consuming all the souls from Purgatory, and we all know what happens to souls in hell. So, as Death told Dean in S6, “it’s about the souls”. This is someone/something else looking to tap in to souls as a source of power. May the individuals that were infected with BTD were going after the baby to feed it… their souls.
On the demon blood thing, I hope they don’t rehash that but it would be nice if they addressed it once and for all, even with a throwaway line. The idea that Sam was purified by the trials makes sense but, in the heartbreaking scene between Sam and Dean in the Great Escapist, where Feverish Sam confessed to Dean that he always felt unclean, even as a child, based upon the way Sam told Dean that “these trials are purifying me”, it seemed born more out of hope/wishful thinking by Sam than anything else.
Great review, Alice. I agree with most of it. I, too am dreading next week and not just because of the writers. Unfortunately, the show has a bad habit of coming out of the gate with a great premise, then dropping the ball spectacularly. Great set up, then nada. (Too many mixed metaphors, oh well).
I didn’t mind the holy oil, or the eating souls thing and honestly, the show really manages to find the creepiest little girls. Side note: I said that to my husband as we were watching and he said, “Little girls [b]ARE[/b] creepy.” 😀
I did love Crowley and that line you quoted made me laugh out loud. Another thing I’m dreading about next week is the scenes with him and the little darkness being cringe worthy. Did this writer couple write that horrible episode last season where Rowena was torturing that coven woman? Ugh.
Sam was indeed a BAMF in the episode. My first thought was about Young MacGyver too, hah. If ya’ll haven’t see that, go to youtube and look it up. Jared is a cutie pie. I really hope Billie comes back because that actress and Jared had great chemistry and I would love for him to develop a friendship with someone, especially now that Dean is BFFs with Cas and Crowley and Cole. Wow, and Charlie was too. OH and Claire. Watch out for C names ya’ll. Dean’s bound to be their bestie. For a minute I thought Jenna was going to be the next one, but now I know if her name had been Clarisse or Candice she would have lived, for a while anyway.
So my only true disappointment was that we didn’t get any serious discussion between the boys. I’m still waiting for that apology from Dean and I’m getting a very bad feeling that it’s going to go to Castiel and not to Sam. I’m getting irritated just thinking about that, but I’m trying not to count my chickens.
All in all, I really liked the episode and I’m cautiously excited for the rest of the season and I haven’t felt that way in a few years so kudos show. Don’t let me down.
Good catch on the C names. That’s funny. In real life, it’s mostly J’s, right? I agree poor Sammy needs a friend. Loving the new season so far, but worried after hit and miss season 10. The holy oil cure was convenient, but if too many people die, Sammy gets massive guilt, and he’s suffered enough, the poor giant baby. I did yell at the screen when he put the flame close to his face, “Watch the hair!!!”. Then he pulled his hair back. Oh good, All is well.
Ha ha, me too. My husband and I both said it at the same time. “Move your hair!” 😀
Edited for a grammar error. That’s what I get for typing too fast, then not proof reading. Shame on me.
I liked both 11.01 and 11.02. There wasn’t a wasted scene in them, not even Crowley’s orgy. It telegraphed the King of Hell was well and truly back to himself. Every shot was important, like the one in 11.01 that shows Dean loading up the duffle bag with weapons-the jug of holy oil is prominent. At the time I wondered what they carried in that because their holy water is usually in plastic jugs. Good old be-prepared-for-anything Winchester instincts.
Poor Jenna had to die, to show Crowley reverting to form and to show how dangerous Amara really is. A world full of souless people is terrifying. Was I sad about it? Of course. I was really sad about the grandmother as I’ve liked that actress ever since Dead Like Me. I kinda hoped the boys would gain another ally, but I knew that wasn’t likely.
I am sad Hannah is gone. She was another angel just trying to do the right thing who got confused about what that was. Who’s going to run Heaven’s administration now? How many angels are left now? There’s been a pretty high body count.
Gotta love Crowley as an exorcist. I’m going to picture him now whenever there’s a priest in a horror movie.
I can’t wait for next week.
Hi Alice: I’m at work so I don’t have time to read the review or comments until later. I enjoyed this episode and thought it was creepy, weird and ominous. Splitting up the brothers is always a problem because they always get into more trouble or hide stuff. I admit I love that. And spooky little girl has been done before, but it never gets old. As for Father Crowley, well absolutely hilarious. Would someone please give Mark Sheppard the Emmy he so richly deserves for this character!!! PLEASE! Oh, and Sam’s hair was particularly fluffy this episode.
Hi Alice, I enjoyed your review. I think these 2 episodes are a slamming start to S11.
[quote] Isn’t this supposed to be a saving people thing this year? Redemption story anyone? [/quote]
I think the redemptive part is more about the brothers. How they, thanks to Sam, are trying to remember that there are often people involved when they indiscriminately kill supernatural beings that were once human and could be again. I think they will more often try and save them from here on, if possible. At least I hope so. I think the show itself will continue to kill characters off for the emotional punch but I agree it isn’t always necessary. I wish Jenna could have been around a little longer.
I almost kind of dread Rowena being reintroduced to the story. It was so nice to have the focus on the main characters.
Thank you Alice for your review. I agreed with some of it but the episode didn’t work as well for me as it seemed to for others.
What worked for me- Sam and Billie
What didn’t work for me- Just about everything else
First what worked. Sam’s story (although rushed) was compelling, intense, “WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN” awesome. We got smart resourceful Sam. When was the last time we got to see that (and yes I watched that pilot of Young MacGyver, poor Jared). Desperate and out of options knowing he is going to die Sam prays for hope, for Dean and for all the people that are going to be harmed. I loved that scene. And where did that vision come from? From God? If so why a vision of being tortured in the Cage? He got the clue to the cure from Billie more than the vision. So WHAT THE HELL DID THAT MEAN??? Thank you Sam for pulling your hair out of the way but I would have liked for the cure to have taken a little longer than boom vision, google, Holy Oil, got it, cure. But I’m glad he isn’t infected anymore and now has a cure (from yes the endless supply of very rare Holy Oil. Maybe it’s like Clarence’s endlessly refilling bottle of whiskey). I don’t think we will see anymore of the BTD now that Sam has taught the surviving towns people how to cure the others (again leaving them with the spare magically refilling H.O. jar). Sam’s story was smart, poignant, scary and set up all kind of mysteries. I loved it.
Billie was the scariest character of the first two episodes. She is everything a pissed off reaper should be. I loved her intro and her threats to the Winchesters. The Empty sounds like maybe the next brother death adventure to me or maybe as Sugarhi speculated where they will send the Darkness when they figure out the right spell (I’m sure at the cost of one of their lives). I loved the visuals of her shadow reaching out to the dead, her hauntingly beautiful voice and of course that gorgeous song. Please, please can she be the recurring reaper that is on their tails and not stunt reaper #3. She was perfect.
Now what I didn’t think worked.
Cas. I don’t like torture scenes. I don’t watch horror movies with torture scenes. And the whole segment was a torture scene. For what? To get a location on Sam and Dean? Metatron? Both? I didn’t understand the point other than Hannah wanted info on the Winchesters and all the angels died except for Cas. And how did he get back to the Bunker? Really didn’t care enough to care.
Dean and Crowley. I get they have some sort of bond but WTH? Deans skills as a hunter went out into the front yard with Crowley. Just to have a chat. Did it really matter that Crowley performed exorcisms and why? I was kind of yelling at my TV Uh Dean, creepy maybe Darkness related baby in the house with two innocent women. You might want to go check on that. Specially when the King of Hell is telling you that a deep dark evil is in there. I get they were catching up and all but it seemed there were more urgent matters at hand. And why not kill Crowley? Why would Dean think that the angel blade would immobilize Crowley while he checked on the baby/now girl? What a surprise Crowley escaped again. Shocker.
Baby Amara turns into a little girl after eating Jenna’s soul. I was wondering when someone, anyone was going to feed that baby. I guess formula wouldn’t have worked. Nothing we didn’t already know was going to happen happened. But poor sweet innocent Jenna and grandma. See Dean if you hadn’t gone outside for your chat….just sayin’.
Crowley. I didn’t care for the snatching up a little girl on the street with “treats” either. Wasn’t cute, funny or anything but in bad taste (and not in the dark humor kind of way). I do like that Crowley never learns. He is always trying to harness the power of someone or thing more powerful than him and it always backfires. At some point he is going to need the Winchesters to bail him out of the jam he just got himself into.
All in all an ok episode for me. I liked the premiere much better. I liked the skewed reality feel of it. Which is kind of what I felt with Sam’s story in this episode. Next ep I know is going to deal with Rowena. I feel like we have enough characters stories right now to deal with do we need any more? Oh well we do have Baby to look forward to after that.
[quote]Baby Amara turns into a little girl after eating Jenna’s soul. I was wondering when someone, anyone was going to feed that baby.[/quote]
HA. Cheryl I was thinking the same thing. After all she did ask nicely to be fed. Maybe a little Enfamil would have saved some lives. :). You make a good point about Dean standing outside chatting with Crwoley while a “Dark” force was inside with 2 innocent women.
Cheryl42, I thought the Crowley luring Amara with “candy” was perfect as it showed Crowley reverting to the evil character he’s supposed to be. It reminded me that Supernatural is a horror show.
Yes like I said Crowley is always trying to harness the power of someone or something (Leviathans, MOC DemonDean now Amara) to gain more power for himself. It never works out for him. He is scheming again and that I like.
I did just have a thought though. Crowley never kills the Winchesters because when his schemes go south he needs their resourcefulness to bail him out of whatever jam he is in.
Well i think billie is death
By the way Alice, I think Chuck is Sanctus Spiritus. It’s wrong to say “Holy Mother of Chuck” 😉
Maybe. It sounds better than “Holy Mother of God,” which is what I said until the end of season five. I still believe with all my heart Chuck is God. But yeah, I wasn’t exactly the most attentive girl in Sunday school. 🙂
Chuck is God, all right, or, more precisely, His hypostsasis. But what I was speaking about was the Christian concept of Trinity: “Father, Son, Holy Ghost or Sanctus Spiritus”. Chuck in no way fits Christ or Father, my assumption he is Spiritus Sanctus. That’s why it’s wrong to say Holy Mother of Chuck”. Only Son of Man has Mother.
I highly suggest you Google, “Holy Mother of God.” It’s a common slang expression, especially in the US (not sure if you’re in the US or not). I sincerely doubt it was formed on any time of biblical accuracy in mind. It’s an exclamation of alarm/amazement. It’s probably relevant because there is no mother of God. As a matter of fact, if you look up the expression in the Urban Dictionary, the definition behind it there is rather crude (and hilarious if you ask me). So, thank you for the lesson, but I think the term getting a serious look is probably a pointless exercise. It’s a phrase I’ve used most of my life, and I probably will not stop now! For “Supernatural” purposes, it’s “Holy Mother of Chuck.” Why? Because I’m trying to be funny.
English is only my third language, but in this case I wasn’t serious myself. I grasped the humour and was joking. By the way, it exists in all languages I know with similar meaning. 🙂
Thanks for the review. I agree the stories were nicely intertwined.
[code type=”xml”]That does raise the question, just how evil is Amara? The angels fear her, the demons are in a stir, she brought a plague that killed humans, but does that make her truly evil? The power that Crowley sensed, is it a power that is opposite of God? Or perhaps she is really God and God and the archangels were the evil ones? After all, they show no love or mercy for humanity (most of the time anyway). What sort of God abandons those that need him? Maybe she would love humans the way that God didn’t? I have a feeling they aren’t going to go that far. It’s a pretty hard act to sell. I heard Carver say “hero of her own story.” Isn’t that true of everyone? Maybe it boils down to, which hero do you believe in?[/code]
I think Amara is amoral as an entity but her existence in our universe will result in our extinction.
[code type=”xml”]Death: A horribly destructive amoral force that was beaten back by God and his archangels in a terrible war. God locked the Darkness away where it could do no harm,…[/code]
She IS the Anti-Creation. Yes, Famine ate souls… but he snatched them before the Reaper got there — not out of living bodies (demons are generally dead). Amara as the Darkness is absorbing God’s creations. For 10 years we’ve been hearing about the power of souls. And non-demon souls are always represented as brilliant bits of Light. So, she’s eating them up faster than PacMan eats coins. [b]Eventually I imagine her ability to eat souls will be more than just one little nibble at a time.[/b] Plus, remember Anna’s description of her own grace? Pure Creation. I imagine Amara eats grace as well. I think she’ll also eat demon souls but I wonder how much she will like them. They still have “power” left or Crowley wouldn’t have his power base.
[i]But it’s Amara’s IMPACT that is evil[/i] – she ate Jenna’s soul and Jenna proceeded to kill Grandma. Apparently without souls (as seen in S9), while some people are relatively sane, others run around murdering folks. I presume Sam was much more the exception than the rule when it came to living without a soul. Of course Amara doesn’t think she’s evil and simply wants to exist. But since her existence ends up extinguishing our “light” – even though she’s simply amoral we cannot coexist with her in this universe.
All God’s are shown to eat souls. At least Amara didn’t require Jenna’s sacrifice. Angels can use souls too to power up. This was a major theme of season 6.
I think Amara is Yahweh. The Mark of Cain is, an ancient symbol for Yahweh. Alice is posting my review on TVFTROU if you’re interested in my thought process.
SueB,:) lots of common sense and impeccable logic. Agreed on every point.
Hi guys!
Love, love, love reading these reviews. This is the only site I come to after an episode.
I just wanted to say that when Sam had his vision, I didn’t think at all that God answered him, but rather someone from the cage trying to reach out to him. Based on the visions, prob Lucifer who might be so afraid of the darkness (since he would have known of it, seeing as how he gave the mark to Cain and the whole Abel thing.
As a side note:I find it interesting that Gadreel let the snake (Lucifer) into the garden, got humanity kicked out of the garden, then Lucifer went after Adam and Eve’s sons and turned them against each other. Sam was both Lucifer’s and Gadreel’s vessel.
I also wonder if the Leviathans are somehow factored into this since they were the first things created- they are so bad that they ahd to be locked up but what if they were meant to fight back the darkness???
Everyone it seems has mentioned that they thought the Sam dying thing wrapped up too nicely, too fast. I didn’t feel that way since I sorta saw both episodes as one. And considering that the rabid humans were dying so fast, it was pretty obvious that it had to happen quickly. Billie giving him the clue out of spite to make him feel more hopeless was ironic. She wanted him to realize how bad his situation was… or was she? I immediately thought of Death telling Dean “dig deep, intrepid detective. It’s about the Souls.”
Was she trying to warn him? But prob not. I loved Billie for but for the first time since season 5, her threat made my stomach sink. Sam and Dean tossed in to the “empty” is just really sad. what about their parents? they have been hiding in heaven somewhere and Bobby is someone locked away in heaven. The thought of the boys never seeing their parents really made me upset. “There’ll be peace when you are done” as our theme song says.
Lastly, I have been re-watching season 4 and for the first time in a while, Sam going to the lengths he did to save Dean suddenly made sense in a way it hadnt before. Watching Sam spiraling out of control with the demon blood, the fear and loathing he had of the evil that was inside him, his inability to resist, the pleasure he got out of the power- all of it made me realize that as he watched Dean digress, he relived his nightmare. So when Castiel challenged him about the consequences, he brought up how much he owed to Dean for saving him when he was out in the cold, alone. And then when he was praying to God, the part about how Dean deserves more was curious to me because he’d just told Charlie in last season that he can’t hunt without his brother. So is Sam back to wanting out of the life again? I think that Sam has always wanted out from all of it, but has , as various points realizes that there isn’t any getting out. Maybe his resignation is that? Does he really think that Dean can really get another life?
Ok, so I feel like I’m just on a ramble.lol
Overall, I loved these episodes. I love the sense of urgency, the panic, the immensity of the darkness and the overwhelming odds that they are now up against.
[b]And then when he was praying to God, the part about how Dean deserves more was curious to me because he’d just told Charlie in last season that he can’t hunt without his brother.
[/b]
I think, you are misinterpreting his phrase. He didn’t actually mean, that he can’t hunt without his brother. It was just a repetition of Dean’s phrase from season 8 finale:
“Think about it. Think about what we know, huh? Pulling souls from hell, curing demons, hell, ganking a Hellhound! We have enough knowledge on our side to turn the tide here. But I can’t do it without you”.
Certainly in both cases they didn’t mean they are unable to hunt without each other, because they can. They just expressed how they feel about each other. And from linguistic point of viewe the meaning of these two phrases is identical
Welcome Kate! So glad to see you posting here. As Admin (and founder of this site), I’m honored you have chosen us as your go to place.
[quote]I just wanted to say that when Sam had his vision, I didn’t think at all that God answered him, but rather someone from the cage trying to reach out to him.[/quote]
That’s an interesting theory. Something reached out to him. Angels can hear prayers and Lucifer is an angel. I really hope we find out.
[quote]As a side note:I find it interesting that Gadreel let the snake (Lucifer) into the garden, got humanity kicked out of the garden, then Lucifer went after Adam and Eve’s sons and turned them against each other. Sam was both Lucifer’s and Gadreel’s vessel. [/quote]
Wow, interesting point, I hadn’t thought of that. I know the writers like to mess with such ironies, so I’m certain that was intentional on their parts.
[quote]I immediately thought of Death telling Dean “dig deep, intrepid detective. It’s about the Souls.”
Was she trying to warn him? But prob not. I loved Billie for but for the first time since season 5, her threat made my stomach sink. Sam and Dean tossed in to the “empty” is just really sad. what about their parents? they have been hiding in heaven somewhere and Bobby is someone locked away in heaven. The thought of the boys never seeing their parents really made me upset. “There’ll be peace when you are done” as our theme song says. [/quote]
Yes, I was thinking the same thinking. That’s why I think either Billie is Death, or she’s getting orders from Death. There’s no way that he would have allowed himself to be killed. I don’t know about John and Mary though. I fear that they are in “the empty.” After all Ash couldn’t find them in Heaven in Dark Side of the Moon. I think Death is curious about the Winchesters because God is. Who knows, maybe they’re one in the same. But yes, Billie’s clue really does mean that someone out there is still in their corner.
[quote]And then when he was praying to God, the part about how Dean deserves more was curious to me because he’d just told Charlie in last season that he can’t hunt without his brother. So is Sam back to wanting out of the life again?[/quote]
No, I think this is a case that Sam was resigning himself to his fate. He was going to die and he wanted to make sure that what happened to him didn’t happen to Dean. It was the act of a desperate and dying man. I believe he thinks he can’t hunt without his brother but that Dean can get along just fine without him. Sam has always believed he’s the lesser of the two (not that I agree with him) and he’ll always put his brother ahead of himself.
I’m with you, I enjoyed these two episodes. Unfortunately, it’s right around episode three that the wheels have fallen off the wagon so to speak with the writing, so fingers crossed this year is different.
Thanks for your comment!
[quote]I just wanted to say that when Sam had his vision, I didn’t think at all that God answered him, but rather someone from the cage trying to reach out to him[/quote]
Someone else brought this same idea up in another thread, but there is a problem of logic with it. If Luci could have reached out to Sam with a vision from the cage then why didn’t he do so before now? It doesn’t make much sense that he’d have left Sam alone for all this time if he could have continued to torment him from the cage directly. So, the vision is from elsewhere probably.
You have a point but season premiere made a point of mentioning that the a howl came from the cage when the darkness was released. Something majorly disturbed one of the two or maybe both. I think it’s Michael actually, not trying to torment Sam but get him a message. After all Adam is his vessel. And there has been mentions that the Adam issue will be addressed at some point this season.
Michael has always been stronger than Lucifer.
Hmmm…..that is an interesting theory. I like that.
But why would Michael be able to contact anyone outside the cage and have not done so before now either? Unless we find out that the release of TheD has somehow disrupted the time/space continuum making it possible for Michael or Lucifer to be able to contact certain people all of a sudden then I am going to stick with the opinion that Sam’s vision came either from God (which is what I hope) or from TheD herself…. although why she would know about the cage is beyond me.
I agree with you E that if either archangel could have contacted anyone from the cage they would have done so by now. So here is my theory. God gave Sam the vision of his torment in hell as a sign that HE needs to contact the archangels for info about how to defeat the D. How might he do this? No clue. But Azazel was able to communicate with Lucifer even BEFORE he slaughtered the roomful of nuns- how else would he have known to slaughter the nuns? And didn’t he say “I did what you asked?” So maybe Sam can figure out a way to contact the cage that doesn’t involve anything that horrifying. And since Smart Sam has made long-awaited and very welcome return, I bet he will figure something out.
Yeah for Smart Sam!! :D:D:D. The other reason I don’t want Sam’s visions to be coming from Lucifer is that it has the potential to set Sam up for a fall again, and quite frankly, I’ve had enough of that. Even when Sam SHOULDN’T have been taking the fall (Amelia/Purgatory, Amy, Gadreel, Charlie) somehow he always ends up on the wrong side of any disagreement between he and Dean. Now having said that, I don’t particularly want to see Dean be wrong either. These kinds of stories divide the brothers and divide the fandom. I want the brother working together, not forced on to opposite sides of the fence from each other.
About the theory that it’s Michael/Luci calling from the cage. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given what we know at the moment. Still though, we could find that the release of TheD has shaken something loose in an episode coming up making it possible for them to do so. Still, I want it to be God or some other higher up in the heaven realm that’s giving Sam his visions. It also tracks with what we’ve been hearing about what’s coming up with these visions
SPOILERS (just in case some people are really avoiding everything spoilerish)
that we might get to see some long lost characters from the show through these visions.
END SPOILERS.
Any hoo. I guess we’ll know more soon! Now, if we can just get past the nepotism duo’s episode without them destroying everything that’s been established so far.
[b]Even when Sam SHOULDN’T have been taking the fall (Amelia/Purgatory, Amy, Gadreel, Charlie) somehow he always ends up on the wrong side of any disagreement between he and Dean.[/b]
It was just because we were shown all these events only from Dean’s point of view. It doesn’t make him right, it only shows his state of mind at the time. We were intentionally manipulated to see the events from his point of view to understand the motives of his wrong actions better and that’s all.
And also it was done to show the characters better. Since season 4 Sam tended to doubt himself and rely more on Dean’s opinion, and Dean up to this season tended to think that he is always right. It seems to me, that dynamics is changing though. Since the middle of season 9 Sam has been reevaluating, and in this season Dean is starting to reevaluate too. At least he recognized that taking on the Mark of Cain was a mistake.
I get your point disgruntled… but actually being right, or just being shown to the be in the right…what’s the difference? Sam still ended up taking all the blame, and getting all the flack. Until the show gives equal weight to both brother’s POV Sam will still largely get blamed (culpable or not) and Dean will still largely come out of it smelling like a rose. Sorry that’s pretty “Debbie downer” of me.
You are right, but there is a reason of it. In every case they needed a motive for Sam to act how he acted without actually showing that he did something wrong. At first I thought like you, but after season 10 and rewatching all the previous I changed my mind. Actually they are very careful with Sam, they are not so careful with Dean. Especially with his speeches. They are very right and eloquent, and almost immediately they backfire. At first he made a speech about how Castiel is a family and then he showed him the door when he was in trouble and without his angel mojo (he doesn’t actually need him as a human, right? There was another angel who did what Dean wanted) and when it turned out that Castiel didn’t get killed said his pompous “I’m proud of you” but he he immediately turned for his help when Cas returned his powers.
He made his pompous speech about trust to Kevin and almost after that his actions got Kevin killed. But my fave was: “Do you know how wrong is it?” when he learnt that Sam had residues of angel grace. That was simply hilarious. That was after he had tricked his brother and allowed Gadriel to possess him in the first place! Dean is always Dean, right? In season 9 Sam tried to reason with him that he should be careful with the First Blade because magic so powerful always comes with a price. He answered that he didn’t care, because the First Blade makes him feel powerful. And then in season 10 he pompously tells Sam, that magic that powerful always comes with a price. Really, Dean? It’s called “Double Standards”, but it seems to be his middle name. All that facts are piling and piling and now I just can’t take seriously all his pompous speeches. When he opens his mouth I start laughing even before he says the first word.
Well all of Hell heard the cries from the cage. And Lucifer was able to make contact with Azazel after spells and all. It isn’t impossible. And with the D released maybe Lucifer’s Mark will have some sort of connection to it. I have a feeling that those two pesky angels are going to have something to do with the fix.
I think Sam praying to God that Dean gets to have a life was more about Sam wanting God to punish only him. Even if it means he ends up in the Empty for all eternity (or at least until Dean can figure out a way to get him back) he doesn’t want Dean to go down for his actions. He knows it wasn’t Dean’s fault. I don’t think it was about Sam wanting out of the life. Just if anyone is to be punished he wants to make sure God only targets him.
I loved that moment. It could have come across as martyr like, but Jared sold it so well that it was so genuine and generous and so incredibly SAM. That was my favorite moment in an episode filled with good things.
I always love your reviews Alice.
This new season seems very promising.
I loved this episode, Sam’s plot was heartbreaking, Dean’s plot brings worry: why does he want so much to protect this baby, the king oh fell is back, thanks Chuck.
But I have to say I don’t like Castiel’s plot. I am so tired of the angels war, killing each other…, it’s been 3 all seasons. Stop already. I am also disappointed that Cass is so much in control? I wish he would be totally crazy under Rowena’s spell. I know being an angel, rules are different but it would have been so much better for the story and to press Sam and Dean to find Rowena and a cure. It’s my only complain of the episode.
Thanks Jane! I liked Castiel’s story in this episode, but I’ve never liked the way they’ve depicted angels and Heaven. It’s like Castiel is the only good angel in the bunch. We’re they all order following drones before? So you give them a little free will and every single one of them turns into selfish dicks? I don’t get it either. I hope Castiel finds a lot of benevolent angels that decided to live of earth and form a club or something. I also hope they don’t drag out the curse too long. It’s already wearing on me.
Agreed Jane and Alice. This is the first time in forever that I’ve given a hoot about Castiel and his story. Yes, it’s more angel stuff, and I am pretty much bored with that, but the writing for him in this episode was just so good and the set up clever enough to keep guessing that I was hooked on what he was going through. And I like Cas, I’ve always liked him; I [i]want[/i] to be invested in his struggles, but that Cas/Hannah road trip was ‘ugh’ soooooooo boring, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, enter Claire. I think finally that Carver has found a way to get all four of the main players into the storyline in an organic and relevant way. I hope to hell it holds up. If we can get the through tonights episode without a disaster we’ll be well on our way to a big improvement over last year.
Alice, great review. No wonder you liked mine. We hit upon some of the same beats. I also enjoyed your take.
I agree Billie deliberately help. The song too was a clue about Death being on the horizon. The empty may prove a way to resurrect some long dead characters. Presumably Castiel has been there a, time or two and came back.
I am loving this season.
Castiel has been there? Do you mean when Lucifer exploded him ? And when “unnamed” arc angel exploded him? Do you think that is where he went? Maybe that is why he knows about the Darkness and the other angels didn’t.