Recap – “Point Of No Return”
Dean’s a little smarter than that, knowing they have nothing. Sam’s look downward glance confirms that. Sam’s not giving up though. “You know I have to stop you.” Dean starts feeling a little confident, challenging Sam to try. “Just remember, you’re not all hopped up on demon blood this time.” That’s an obvious reference to when Sam kicked his ass in “When The Levee Breaks.” Sam knows. “But I brought help.” Dean hears wings flapping behind him and turns just in time to see one livid Castiel press the those fingers of angel zapping to his forehead. Everything goes white.
Next scene is at Bobby’s and everyone is there! All four of them in a room together. Has that happened in recent memory? Um, ever? Bobby and Sam are at the desk pouring through books, Castiel is standing against the door jam looking angry with arms folded and Dean is pacing around obviously in a difficult mood. “No, this is good really. Eight months of turning pages and screwing pooches but tonight, tonight’s when the magic happens.” Bobby doesn’t appreciate the lack of help so Dean tells him to let him get out of his hair. Bobby asks what happened to him. A total breakdown in faith, why do you ask? Dean blames it on reality. That works too.
Dean is now pitching that Michael can ice the devil and save a boat load of people. Bobby reminds him not all of them and they’ve got to think of something else. Sam listens to this brooding. Castiel listens to this brooding. Dean is now thinking if Lucifer burns the earth down and he could have done something about it, that’s on him. “You can’t give up son,” Bobby says. Dean scoffs. “You’re not my father. And you ain’t in my shoes.” I could shout out to Dean “You major dick!” right now but I don’t need to. Sam’s expression says it all for us. He then shakes his head at Dean to remind him that mean people suck.
You think Bobby is going to let this go? Hell no. Bobby pulls out his gun from the desk drawer and puts it on the desk. Dean and Sam both watch with curiosity. Then he pulls out a silver bullet from his shirt pocket. Dean asks “What is that?” Okay, you asked. “That’s the round I mean to put in my skull. (puts it down on desk.) Every morning I look at it I think ‘maybe today is the day I turn the lights out.’ But I don’t do it. I never do it. You know why? BECAUSE I PROMISED YOU I WOULDN’T GIVE UP!” Dean listens with the shame he should. Everyone pauses in awkward silence but it only lasts a second or two, but now Castiel gets his plot time.
Cas grabs his head in pain. Sam asks if he’s okay. Remember Cas telling you not to ask stupid questions last week? The answer is obvious, no. “Something’s happening.” Dean asks where but there’s a sound of flapping wings and papers go flying. Cas isn’t sticking around to explain. The others share worried glances and then Castiel is examining carnage in a forest. Tree carnage anyway, for a similar phenomenon that happened in “Lazarus Rising” is happening here. Trees are down and there’s an explosion center at ground zero. He comes to the center and something is slowly popping out of the ground. Cas goes to examine, but his spidy sense kicks in just in time to thwart an attack from another angel.
If there’s improvement in Castiel at all this season, this angel has been kicking all kinds of butt compared to last year where he lost just about every fight he was in. Even with a sneak attack, Castiel still manages to wrestle away an angel-killing sword from the guy (he had two!) and exchange a lot of swipes when another angel comes up from behind. Castiel swerves left and the other angel plunges his sword into the first angel. He goes zap. This of course gives Cas his chance to overpower the other angel, knock him to the ground and plunge the angel-killing sword right through his heart. Cas BTW does this with such scary malice. Don’t mess with this angel on the edge! Now that the minor annoyances are gone Cas goes back to that hole in the ground. A filthy hand pops out so Cas pulls out the body with it with one fell swoop. Those powerful angels. He plonks the body on the ground. Interesting.
Back at Bobby’s house and Sam is reading a book in front of the refrigerator. Dean comes over, but Sam won’t budge. Dean wants a beer. They exchange glares of annoyance, but Sam does move. No chance for that beer though, for Castiel arrives with the body he just pulled out of the ground. He practically drops the person on Bobby’s bed. I love the POV from the bed just so we can see Sam and Dean’s stunned faces. Bobby pulls up to the bed and asks who it is. “That’s our brother,” Sam answers, both he and Dean trying to prevent their jaws from falling to the floor. Now we see a dirty Adam on the bed. Cool! It’s another Dead Winchester family reunion! We’ve been getting so many of those lately.
Adam remains unconscious on the bed while all of Team Freewill stares at him. He’s going to feel awkward when he wakes up. It all clicks for Bobby. “What a minute, your brother, Adam?” Yeah, I do believe they only have one brother. That they know of. Dean asks Cas “What the Hell?” and while Cas puts down two clean angel swords on the desk (he washed them off in between?) he gives the answer. Angels. Sam is shocked by that. Why? Because they’re evil! No, Cas doesn’t answer and instead does the rib carving with his touch trick on Adam. They need to hide him, now. Good thinking!
Of course Cas’ touch is jarring enough where Adam wakes. He shoots up and in understandably freaked out over being in this room of strangers. Sam assures him he’s save. Naturally, Adam wants to know who the Hell he is. Don’t you see the family resemblance? “You’re going to find this a little…a lot crazy, but we’re actually your brothers,” Dean says. Sam tries to back Dean up, explaining John Winchester was their father too, just in case Adam was confused that over the half siblings his mother had and hid from him. He says he’s Sam and – “Yeah, I’m sure that’s Dean.” Everyone’s a little surprised Adam knows that. He was warned about them. From the angels of course. “Where the Hell is Zachariah?” Adam asks. Honest kid, you don’t want to know.
Off screen Adam is given a chance to clean up and is given one of Dean’s outfits. He certainly isn’t Sam’s size. Then he’s back on the bed and is getting stared down by the other four interrogation style. Dean asks for the story from the beginning. I should note before going further they get the continuity from “Jump The Shark” dead on right, down to the horrible ghoulish detail. They know us fans are keeping tabs. “Well, I was dead, in Heaven. Except it kind of looked like my prom. Uh, I was making out with this girl, her name was Kristin McGee.” Dean says it sounds like Heaven and did he get to third base? Sam clears his throat and gives Dean a variation of the Sam Winchester bitchface, this one a little more subdued but still agitated.
I think that’s what really tore me up during this fight scene, Dean saying “Please” to Cas in such a desperate tone…
Alice, did you keep your emotional stability? Watching this episode I had trouble with that, and reading your fabulous recap did the same to me.
Yeah, Zachariah… hate his guts. But Kurt Fuller is marvellous in his scenes, in the bar at the beginning and trying to nail Dean to the wall. He was a great villain, but as we’re killing off the angels now, he had to go. I would have loved to help Dean with that. I went YES! As stabbed the Mr Arrogance du jour.
It was pretty painful to see how Dean was spent and hurting the people he loves most deliberately – shoving into Sam’s face that he was not hopped up on demon blood (slap!) and Bobby that he was not his father (slap, slap)… He can’t control this anymore. He’s living and breathing fatalism and sarcasm. The expression on Bobby’s face was … oh, God, he didn’t deserve that. And Bobby’s confession that he thinks of killing himself everyday… Kleenex….
I agree that Sam did his best with his face to tell Dean how wrong he was saying that, no matter how desperate his older brother might be. And later in the panic room scene.. I was a mess after that, just like you put it here, Alice. I couldn’t believe Dean would go there, but knowing the show and Dean lately, I expected it, too. My heart sank with Sam. In a fight long ago my mom said something like that to me, to hurt me, as she later admitted. I still remember how devastatingly painful it is to hear something like that. You don’t do that to your family.
I agree with Lynn’s theory wholeheartedly.
The following scenes are so rich, bad-ass Cas, Adam returning, angels having a plan B? They expect them to buy that? The big fight of Dean and Cas, Adam and Zach.., gosh… I hate this episode as much as I love it.
I really miss some of the pop culture references since some of it was just not an item over here (perhaps I should have gotten myself a catalogue in that department of the Smithsonian, eh, Alice, and studied that a bit more…)
That scene with Sam and Dean in the panic room is indeed an instant classic – and, I agree, one of the best in this show! How much I loved Sam here I can’t describe.
Thanks so much for the series of screencaps covering that big scene in the green room, Dean saying yes and then killing Zach, the whole dialogue that went on without saying a word… You are so great, dear. This scene was as painful and yet hopeful as it gets.
I love that look on Sam’s face in the last scene in the car. He hasn’t had that kind of brotherly love in a long time and he has been so hungry for it. You didn’t make it without losing it ? Alive, me neither. Can you please quit making these great recaps, I don’t know how I’m gonna survive the last three of this season… Kidding. Give it to me. I’m a plain masochist.
Sniff, Jas
Thanks Alice, what a great job. I especially liked that remark about Dean 2.0.
What I haven’t realized watching the show I did now looking at your picures. (Did you actually do the following on purpose?)
On page 2 of your recap right after Dean asks Bobby about the bullet you have one picture of Sam. And there in bottom right hand corner above the CW logo you can read “You are watching supernatural 100th episode”
The picture right below with Bobby starting to deliver his suicidal speach reads: “Pay attention”
And again well done.
With our boys living through so many unreal moments that seem real to all of us don’t you feel like Alice in Wonderland?
Great recap!
I too absolutely loved Sam in this episode. The best way to motivate someone to do their best is to demonstrate faith in them – as Sam did here. His was also the only approach that worked. Bobby’s words had little effect; Cas’ fists even less. It was indeed “The Power of Love†that saved the day… 😉
Awesome episode.
Sam’s “you’re my big brother” & Dean’s “if you’re grown up enough to have faith in me…” just really got to me.
I didn’t even realize the Impala wasn’t in this one until the rewatch, I was so caught up in everything else that happened, but she should definitely have been there!
That was a great recap Alice, and I loved those screenshots in the Green Room. How those two do that is just awesome!
The utter despair up until that wink was almost unbearable.
Sam was so great in this one and I could have jumped for joy when Dean changed his mind.
Bye bye Zach! You were a great villain indeed!
Don’t know if I will survive the next three as Kripke is bound to do something dreadful before season end.
All I can think of is save Bobby, save Cas please please please! 😮
Good 100th episode! And good recap Alice. Loved the pictures of Sam and Dean in the green room!
I have to say, I can’t help but think part of the episode was for Sam to understand how deeply he had hurt his brother, and to make amends for it. And he did, first by telling Dean he was wrong all those time he ran away, and second for trusting Dean, and actually having faith in him, which I’m not convinced he ever had before… not a deep faith anyway, or he never would have followed Ruby in the first place.
Sam’s taking Dean with him was the only chance Sam had, and he knew it. He was on the verge of losing Dean, and had to hope Dean would still choose him over anything else. Lucky for him, good habits die hard, and the old Dean was still there.
I loved Adam’s return too. Too bad he didn’t stay around, but they didn’t actually say he was dead, so maybe he’ll show up in season six. Although can we handle two Deans? might blew up the TV! 😀
I have to disagree with you on one point though. I just don’t think what Cass did when he found Dean was right. Dean was certainly not Dean, but Cass made his own decision to follow Dean; he chose that path of his own free will. And, for all intents and purposes, Cass is just as responsible for the apocalypse as Dean and Sam. He let Sam out of the room, and although Dean doesn’t know it, Cass does. The writers have seemed to gloss that over, but it is still a fact in the story. I really don’t think Cass was right in taking all his anger out on Dean, and to me, that’s what it looked like he was doing. Dean always considered Cass a friend, and I felt very sorry for Dean at that point. Dean needed understanding from Cass, not a beating. Guess that’s just the sentimentalist in me. Sorry. :cry::
The look on Sam’s face at the end was awesome. I think it’s the first time he has REALLY seen his brother, and he likes what he sees. 😉
Just my 1 and a half cents worth!
I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this episode ( and your recap Alice , it`s like re-living it again ,Thank you )or how many times I have watched it .
It demonstrated perfectly exactly why we all love this show so much . It had everything ( except The Impala ) in there , one of the saddest scenes ever , just imagine being able to fit all your worldly possessions into such a small box , moments of such angst they were almost painful to watch , the panic room scene especially , moments of humour , loved the line about `the power of love` and we had a promise kept when we finally got to see Zach stabbed in the face, the final scene with all the restored hope and determination , and yes , i know we are all being built up for a huge fall but let`s just enjoy this feeling while we can.
My favourite scene from the episode though and what I think could become one of my favourites ever , is the big one in the green room. So many emotions and wonderful nuances portrayed in a scene with no dialogue. What a testament to the wonderful actors we have here .Thank you so much for the series of screencaps which demonstrated this so perfectly