Recap – “Point Of No Return”
Sam defends that it’s not like they pulled the trigger. Dean thinks they might as well have. That is the guilt of a tired mind. Then Dean says he’s tired! Man, have I figured out these guys or what? He’s tired of fighting who he’s supposed to be. Sam gets a little angry over this talk, but not rage angry so it’s okay. “Well you think maybe you could take half a second and stop trying to sacrifice yourself for a change? Maybe we could actually stick together?” Dean somberly looks down. “I don’t think so.” So Sam seriously wants to know why not. Oh Sam, haven’t you learned from the past? Every time you ask Dean for honesty like this it ends up really hurting you.
“I just don’t believe,” Dean starts. “In what?” Sam asks. “In you.” Back to Sam, whose heart sinks like the Titanic. He even gives his somber profile of despair. Dean goes on. “I don’t know if it’s gonna be demon blood, or some other demon chick, or what, but I do know they’re going to find a way to turn you.” Sam listens, looking pretty crushed. “So you’re saying I’m not strong enough.” “You’re angry, you’re self-righteous. Lucifer’s going to wear you to the prom man it’s just a matter of time.” Now Sam is teary. “Don’t say that to me. Not you, of all people.” Dean continues as stoic as he can be. “I don’t want to, but it’s the truth. And when Satan takes you over, there’s got to be someone there to fight him. And it ain’t gonna be that kid. So it’s gotta be me.” Sam realizes he’s about to completely lose it and leaves, locking the door behind him. Oh Sammy! Come here for that hug. I need one too after seeing that. I don’t care if Dean was being honest or is hurting, you just don’t crush the one person who believes in you like that. I was a broken mess the first few times I saw that scene. It was just as bad as Sam’s heartbreak over “that makes you a monster.”
As a side note, a few theories are being tossed around as to why Dean did that to Sam. I said in my review on blogcritics that I saw this as Dean trying to push Sam away, get him mad enough to let him go, but then one someone who talks episode with me each week (thanks Lynn!) had a different theory. Dean meant every bit of it. He sees Sam as Lucifer in “The End,” he realizes through “The Song Remains The Same” that anyone can be motivated to say yes under the right circumstances, and then sees Sam fall to Famine’s spell in “My Bloody Valentine.” Not to mention all that baggage and mistrust left over from last season. No, he doesn’t believe in Sam and is so raw emotionally he might as well say it. He has nothing left to lose. How utterly tragic.
Castiel watches Adam sleep and then Bobby rolls in just in time to see Sam come out of the basement. He knows that Sam is really broken up. “How’s he doing?” Bobby asks. Sam can only sigh, knowing that if he says a word right now, he’ll bust out in tears. Then Bobby asks how Sam is doing. You know Sam, as many times as you’ve been asking people lately how they’ve been doing when it’s clear they’re falling apart, you’ve got this coming. Sam only gives Bobby a look of forlorn.
What’s interesting is this really annoys Castiel and he heads for the basement. Castiel is being protective of Sam? Aww, what a pal. Sadly, not a very smart pal. He hears a crash, opens the little crack on the door and finds the chair knocked over. “Dean?” Naturally, he gets no answer. So Castiel opens the door, steps in and investigates. You really should have brought Sam, Cas. Dean steps out from behind the cabinet and sure enough, he’s drawn an angel banishing sigil on it. He smacks it with his hand and Castiel bursts away screaming. Dean then escapes through a cellar door. Bobby’s basement has a cellar door? That’s new. Why didn’t Sam take that last year instead of going upstairs to escape? He needed his coat? Weird. Me thinks that’s an afterthought.
Sam must have heard Castiel screaming, for he rushes in where Bobby and Adam are and grabs his coat. “Where’s Cas?” Bobby asks. “Blown to Oz,” Sam says. Well that’s one good way of putting it. Sam is pretty irritated and plans to go get Dean. He couldn’t have gone too far. He tells Bobby to watch Adam. “How? You may have noticed he’s got a slight height advantage.” Hee, Bobby and his quips. Sam doesn’t have time for details, telling him to cuff him to his chair or something. “Just watch him.” Ooh, me thinks Sam is cracking around the edges a little.
While Bobby does his job, Adam is having one of those vivid dreams. He’s at a playground (what’s with angels meeting at playgrounds?) and he sits on a bench looking hopeful. “Your mom’s not coming you know.” There’s Zachariah sitting next to him. Ruh-roh! Zack notices this is the park his mom took him on his day off. She’s not coming, not yet, but will soon. Adam figures out he’s Zachariah. Yep. Zack isn’t happy he wasn’t where he was supposed to be and can’t find him either. He knows that MO, Adam must be with Sam and Dean. Yep. Zack warns they can’t be trusted. “You know Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically co-dependent on each other, right?” Ooh, Zack’s a slash fan. I’m not surprised.
Adam says that they’ve said a few things about him. Ah, how fun being in the middle of a feud like that. Zack in an arrogant tone that would make me want to punch him more than believe him says they don’t give a crap about him. They’d rather save each other than save the planet. “They’re not your family, understand?” Adam isn’t convinced, until Zack pushes the mom button again. Yep, that does it. Adam pops awake.
This is one of my favorite scenes not only in this episode, but probably this season. I have no idea why, but I love it. Maybe because someone gets to knock some sense into Dean for a change. A religious nut is preaching on the street corner, holding his bible and telling everyone the end in nigh. He knows because the angels have been talking to him. Angels really like nut jobs, don’t they? Dean walks up to him and interrupts. “I’m Dean Winchester, do you know who I am?” “Dear God.” “I’ll take that as a yes.” Ha, more religious humor.
Dean wants him to pray to his angel buddies, let them know that he’s here. The man drops to his knees and starts with the Lord’s prayer. I also just noticed something in continuation with the bar last week. Sure, the Schultz beer name has been around for a while, but they’re in front of a bar that has both the El Sol and Schultz neon signs. How cool. Suddenly that oh so familiar stern voice comes out of nowhere. “You pray too loud.” Castiel touches him and the man goes down. Castiel then grabs Dean and throws him into the alley. Oh no, Dean’s on the bad side of a pissed off angel. You did ask for this Dean with that banishing trick.
“What are you crazy?” Dean asks. He so is! “I rebelled for this!” Castiel says, tossing him around against another wall. Then he punches Dean hard twice. “So you could surrender to them?” He grabs Dean and throws him against the opposite wall then gut punches him twice. Dean’s mouth is bleeding now. “Cas, please,” he pleads, but Cas just throws him against the other wall again. He grabs him tight and snarls in his face. “I gave everything for you and this is what you give to me?” Cas pulls him away from the wall, punches him hard and Dean stumbles backward. So Cas then kicks him hard and Dean goes flying into a fence. Ouch!
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