Supernatural: The Animation, Closer Look PART 4

16. In My Time of Dying

Episode16 21

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” ― Steve Jobs

This is a remake of the 2.01 “In My Time Of Dying”. After the Winchesters crashed with the Impala and are taken to the hospital, Sam and John recover but Dean remains unconscious. Dean is trapped with his soul and his soul wanders in the hospital as a ghost and meets a Reaper. Meanwhile John and Sam are at each other’s throats like usual. The Reaper tells Dean he has a choice of dying peacefully or staying a ghost. John makes a decision to save Dean by bargaining with YED and giving his own life and the Colt in exchange. YED accepts John’s offer and Dean survives. Then, after whispering his last words, John passes away.

Season 2’s first episode is one of my favorites and the animation version doesn’t fall far behind. I liked that they used Sam’s laptop in the anime instead of a Ouija board when Sam and Dean were talking over the veil. Dean must be something special if you think that he could move things that fast as a “ghost”. It took a while with Bobby and other ghosts and the difference was pretty clear when he used the keyboard now to write. Also, Tessa looked more like young Mary. Dean saw a flashback about her at the start and a time he was young. The episode mirrored the original episode quite well and was the best from this list.

Five stars

Main characters:

Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester

John Winchester
Mary Winchester
Bobby Singer
YED
Tessa

Episode16 cast

Quotes:

John: You had the chance to kill the demon and you didn’t take it. If you did, none of this would have happened. Dean would be fine now if you took that shot.
Dean: Come on dad. Don’t say that.
Sam: So you’re saying it’s my fault that Dean is laying there right now?
John: I told you to shoot but as usual you just wouldn’t listen!
Sam: The demon was possessing you! There’s no way I could have shot it without killing you.
John: You could have ended it all but you were too damn soft. You can’t be weak when you’re facing that demon.
Sam: And because I saved your life I’m suppose to feel guilty? … …
Dean: Just stop it alright! That’s enough!

Dean: Sam, we were wrong. It looks like Madison didn’t turn back to a human after all. Sorry bro, but we gotta end this before anyone else gets killed. You understand that, don’t you?
Sam: There’s gotta be another way. There just has to be.
Dean: Sam! Give it up.

Something borrowed, Tessa

Tessa16 11

In My Time of Dying review by Nate Winchester

17. Rising Son

Episode17 41

“I guess what scares me the most now is the thought that I won’t be able to protect you” ― Julia Hoban, Willow

This is the second anime-original episode in this group, inspired by a comic book with the same title. Dean visits Missouri without Sam because he tells her what the true last words from John were. He is struggling to keep it all together. Dean sees some old photos there and that reminds him of Susan Lyle, who was Sam’s teacher. He remembers the old times when he and his father once saved Sam, despite what his future held. Sam showed supernatural powers as a young boy already. Dean’s spirit rises and he again makes up his mind to protect Sam from any harm if that is the last thing he ever does.

I liked the start with Missouri and the Weechester story for the most part in this episode but that’s about it. Like we know from the live-action version, Sam’s life was overshadowed from the demons by his side and this episode showed that storyline develop already when he was fairly young. I also liked the vibe of Omen/the exorcist where a young boy showed extraordinary and destructive powers. In a few of the episodes, you can see ties to and similarity to the original characters. Wee!Sam reminded me a lot about the antichrist Jesse and Anderson was almost similar to Gordon Walker. In the end, the transformer the demon called was way over the top. I would say this is a weak three stars at best.

Three stars

Main characters:

Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester

John Winchester
Missouri Moseley
Susan Lyle
Anderson

Episode17 cast

Quotes:

Wee!Sam: Ma’am?
Susan: Hi there. You can call me Susan at least at home. What’s the matter?
Wee!Sam: Su-Mrs. Lyle… I’d like to give you something special.
Susan: Something special and what could that be?
Wee!Sam: I made it myself just for you. Are you happy?
Susan: Yes, very much so. Thank you Sam.
Wee!Sam: You okay Mrs. Lyle?

Susan: Why do you protect him so fiercely? This child is special, his different from you. You two cannot stay together.
Wee!Dean: I don’t think you get it. A demon would not understand. We’re family which means there’s no substitute. There’s no substitute for Sam or our mother!
Susan: I feel sorry for you. You’re just a kid. You’ll see when you grow up Dean. There’s substitutes for everything. But Dean, there’s no substitute for this child.
Wee!Dean: You can’t have Sam even if you kill me.
Susan: I have no choice then. I’ll give you something special before you die.

Rising Son review by Nate Winchester

18. Crossroads

Episode18 21

“It’s always so early in here, before the crossroads, before the irrevocable choices. Thank you for this life! Still I miss the alternatives. The sketches, all of them, want to become real.” ― Tomas Transtromer

This is a remake of the 2.08 “Crossroad”. Bobby is back! Sam is trying to get Dean back to hunting after their father’s death. An architect has committed suicide and he mentioned a black dog. People had made crossroad deals with a demon and they had died in mysterious ways. This is also how they find out the clue about Evan Hudson. The people got what they wished for from the trade-off; success, fame, riches, but when they got their due time they were dragged to hell by hellhounds. Sam and Dean locate Evan who bargained with the demon to save his wife’s life from a terminal illness. While Sam protects Evan from hellhounds, Dean is trying to negotiate with the demon. He fools the demon in a devil’s trap and makes a deal to save Evan’s life.

The episode started with the scene of the live-action 2.02 “Everybody Loves a Clown”. I loved that scene in the show. Bobby found the case for them and Sam thought it was best to go on a hunt to help Dean get his mind off of his father. It is a shame that the animation one didn’t have as much time as the original episode because it was a masterpiece. The story felt rushed and the characters were not as deep either. It was not a bad episode and pretty entertaining so the scale tips to the better side.

four stars

Main characters:

Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester

Bobby Singer
Thad
Evan Hudson
Julie Hudson
Crossroad demon

Episode18 cast

Quotes:

Dean: Hey Sam… I was definitely dying right, you sure about that?
Sam: Yeah, what about it?
Dean: But I survived somehow.
Sam: Huh?
Dean: Why is that?

Crossroad demon: I’ll let you in a little secret though. The hell they talk about where your father is trapped. It’s worse than anything you can possibly imagine. The John you knew who was once so brave and strong is now screaming like a little baby: “Help, help, help!”
Dean: You’re lying.
Crossroad demon: I told you I don’t lie. — Your father had a loser for a son didn’t he? His son cost him his life and when given the chance to resurrect him his son throws it away like his father didn’t matter for him at all. – You’re father died for you, doesn’t that mean anything? He gave his life to the Yellow-eyed-demon so that you could live, but you abandoned him and saved a stranger instead. – Dean, you killed your dad, how’s that make you feel, huh, to know that you Dean are the one responsible for his death.