“The Devil You Know” – Did The Edlund Deliver?
Minutes to showtime folks (at least for those of us in the Eastern time zone). I’m already geeked over this episode, because Ben Edlund has yet to disappoint me (yes, I even liked Malleus Maleficarum) and I’ve gotten some inside word that tonight is a really intense episode. So enjoy, then come back here, coherent thought or not, and try to tell us what you think. We’ll forgive babbling.
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Crowley’s freakin’ awesomely evil – slick and snakey – my favourite kind. Brady was an excellent baddy and holy crap – Bobby – JUST SAY NO! Haven’t they learned that nothing good comes of this soul-selling business?!?
I love this show.
Loved it!! One of the best myth arc episodes I’ve seen. So good to see the boys together again, and I’m glad Sam killed Brady. He deserved it, and Sam released more of his anger. And glad Dean gave him the opportunity! Nice to hear Dean, call Sam, ‘Sammy’ again. Can’t say enough. Wish they had done more of this this season.
Loved Crawley! Wow, what a turn. And yes, I beleive Crowley is with the boys…but only becasue they are the lesser of two evils for him. As Dean said, any port in a storm. Loved Crowley popping in and out!
And the hell hounds! So cool! I don’t know what I loved the best!
Glad to see Bobby normal again, and yes, soul selling has not been the best idea so far, but how interesting Bobby can get it back. For some reason, I beleive Crowley! How cool!
Loved this!
Loved the impala part too. Love it when demons and angels pop into the back seat. And so cool it was there when Bardy got what was coming to him. The family stands together!!!
Did I say I LOVE this show!!!
Wow, I really need to rewatch. Some great stuff here, but I need to pay better attention the second time around. Now Dean has a demon yanking his chain, and Sam’s “interesting theory” when he killed Brady means he found his way to control Lucifer. At least that’s the way I took it. Oh, Bobby, this can’t go well. Then again, what does he have to lose? Yep, a setup episode but the possibilities are pretty scary.
I liked this one but I didn’t love it. I really miss Cas. Crowley was fantastic. For me he made the episode tonight. Without him I daresay I would have been bored.
I loved this episode!!! It totally rocked in a 100% “Supernatural” way!! I can’t wait to rewatch it!! I miss Cas being around and I hope he comes back before the season ends. Crowley was awesome & probably my favorite demon to date. Bobby was funny (margaritas!)…& of course Sam & Dean rocked!! I can’t wait for next week’s episode!!
Until then, I’m gonna have the song & Dean’s face stuck in my head.
This show rocks!!! I love it!!!
Instant reaction? Loved it! Lots of layers to tease apart, though … Must sleep, then think, then write.
Really liked to see all of Brady’s ramblings didn’t get to Sam. He does seem so much more in control! Him and that knife are something else.
Sam controlled his anger because of what Bobby said. In his mind, if he can do that, he can beat Lucifer. It’s character growth but is it for the right reasons? Is an act of self sacrifice for the greater good a way to go? I think Sam doesn’t see any other options. Interesting how he left Dean out of that moment. I wonder if Bobby will tell him or if Dean will figure it out.
First blush is this was good but not great. It was a bit out of context and inconsistent with things we’ve seen of late. Sam is brooding and easily tripped up…yes he controlled himself although he was coldly calculated in his killing of Brady in the end, which no doubt disturbed Dean but seemed not to phase Sam.
The opening in the hospital with the brothers and masks played for laughs but didn’t deliver as it was forced.
Crowley is excellent and he lights up the scenes, Mark Shephard that is, and I enjoyed his character who is seemingly helpful while at the same time making no bones about the fact that he is in this for himself. He’s an ally until he doesn’t need you anymore. Like they say, keep your friends close your enemies closer.
Bobby remains the voice of reason and I love his interaction with Sam (although I’d have wished in person but both did fabulous work via the phone).
Sam’s distrust of Dean and sense of betrayal as Dean left makes sense and yet it doesn’t. It’s almost as if the events of Point of No Return and Hammer of the Gods didn’t happen as Sam appeared so hurt and confused and Dean was cold and uncaring as he left. I get that there are time constraints each episode but I found the pacing there a bit jarring.
Brady was well-played and I like getting even more backstory to the Sam and Jessica time and I truly love that Dean fought against Crowley’s determination and instead brought Brady back to Sam and that Sam knew not only from Dean but from Crowley how much Dean was trusting him. I don’t fault Sam for failing at first…it’s a huge shock and one has to process that anger. this time, unlike when Lilith taunted him, he pulled back and seemed to do it on his own with nothing more than Bobby’s words ringing in his mind — or so I imagine — as Dean was no longer pounding on the door and shouting.
True, I love it when Sam realizes his actions through the reactions of others but this time he chose himself to back off and not because of some outside cue.
All in all it’s a good episode but it’s still much of a set up for what’s to come. That’s not all bad but it’s not the brilliance I was hoping for.
I give Edlund kudos for dialing it back on the gross-o-meter. Appears he knows he sets the standard and instead is willing to allow Loflin and Dabb and Carver a shot at some grossness.
I think Sam’s days of rash actions are over. Like he said to Bobby, ‘Only if they all agree’. Dean trusted Sam and Sam didn’t let Dean down…and Sam didn’t let hinself down. Sam has come a long way!
Boy, Sam controlling his anger may be more scary than out-of-control Sam, especially now that we know what he is thinking. Jared was giving me chills with that reined-in look of fury in his eyes & the knife in his hand.
I am enjoying Crowley even more than Alastair. It’s about time a demon or angel thought of placing a tracking device on the guys, although it felt like the Impala had been violated by doing so! His controlling his own hellhound was awesome! I didn’t like his making Dean look like a fool again in the plan to trap Brady. Crowley could be an interesting character to keep around for next season. Definitely not trusting him, however. Bobby, be careful!
I must certainly love angry/evil Sam something fierce. That said, I really loved this ep more than the last. I think I liked it more than the 100th ep. Crowley was awesome… one of my favorite demons. Loved how he killed the people like it was nothing, and Dean find out for himself. Loved Brady too… he was a real demon. Would like to have seen Castiel, but I’m sure he’ll be back.
I didn’t see Sam’s character regressing, but more determined to get the job done. His anger is like a personality trait for him; it has been his downfall but can also be a great weapon. He’s become more of a leader and less of a follower… like Dean was back at the end of Changing Channels (which was the last time I saw Dean in control).
In a strange way Crowley and Dean just validated everything Sammy did in season 4. People may say it is different, but I didn’t see it that way. Crazy how full circle things have been.
This is my type of ep.
This was WAY better on the rewatch. I do love this one. Sure, it’s a setup for the things to come and should probably be judged not by itself but in conjunction with the other two, but did it amp things up a little.
This is going to drive me crazy for the next two episodes. “Maybe the only difference between you and a demon is your Hell is right here.†“Interesting theory.” What does that mean??? Something clicked with Sam on that.
Loved this episode.
It didn’t have the hell-bent-for-leather pace of Point of No Return but there were still plenty of juicy nuggets to enjoy.
Crowley is a wonderful addition to the SN verse. Mark Shepherd just seemed to be having a blast playing him, which meant I had a blast watching him. Hope we see him again.
Loved how they tied Brady into Sam’s time at Stanford, and Sam’s battle to control his anger after learning the truth about him and Jess.
And Bobby… between Crowley’s offer for his soul and Sam’s ‘plan,’ we’re in for a heckuva ride in the next two episodes. Can’t wait.
And a big tip of the hat to SN’s awesome art department – I cracked up at the ‘Herpexia’ poster in the opening scene.
I have whiplash from the characterization of Sam and Dean’s relationship in the past three episodes. Reminds me of later seasons of Buffy, when they were without a strong head writer, and every script had a different version of Spike.
I agree with elle2 that Dean was oddly cold when leaving Sam to go with Crowley. I think that would’ve been a perfect time for a brotherly conversation where Dean points out they don’t have a lot of options, and Sam is reluctant due to Ruby issues, and points out that Dean is usually the one opposing alliances with evil.
I also get whiplash sometimes trying to figure out just *when* I’m supposed to be concerned that the boys are killing demons. Dean presumably offs a few at Brady’s office, but no worries, folks! But then I’m supposed to bite my lip in concern when Sam kills Brady? Sorry, can’t have it both ways, Show.
I typically find Edlund’s scripts plotless and meandering. This one at least had a plot, but was paced strangely, and seemed to pick up and drop ideas like a bored toddler with too many toys.
Brady’s speech to Sam at the end just had me rolling my eyes – trusting so many demons? Not really. Brady was in Sam’s life before the boys really had much experience with demons (remember the one in Phantom Traveler was new to them) and Sam never bought into Yellow Eye’s crap and always resisted him. So Ruby was really the only demon Sam trusted. Which admittedly, was the biggest mistake of his life.
Crowley is totally my new demon crush!
So shouldn’t be up at this hour, but who can sleep after that?! “I promise, I’ll give it right back”?? Oh, Bobby, no…
Did we get some indication as to whether the real Brady was dead? I figured probably, given such a lengthy possession, but still, I wondered if it was possible he was still alive. Half thought he’d start gasping after Sam stabbed the demon out of him, you know, more guilt and torture for the boys…
Thee demon kills with the knife or Colt always disturb me a little, always aware that they’re killing the host as well, but I think watching Sam kill Brady bothered me more than usual given he was slicing into the body of his once best friend. Demon definitely had it coming, though–another awesome bad guy. I love these deliciously evil SPN villains!
‘They ate my tailor!’ You gotta love Crowley, eh?
had no time to read any of your comments, just finished watching and am off to work. I will have to remember not to watch the show on Friday mornings. Well, if I lived in the States, I’d have a night of sleep right now… or not…
Initial reaction: love this episode. Need to re-watch it I guess a couple of times to grasp it all. This is as multilayered as I love it. From hellhounds-dot-com to the Supernatural Fight Club of Sam and Brady.
I know what I’m gonna do when I get home from work. Let’s hope this Friday will be more peaceful than it usually is in terms of emergency incidents, so I’ll be able to actually finish work in time. A girl can hope, right?
Cheers everyone, Jas
Oh, and pharmaceutical companies are run by demons?! Of course they are!!! LOVED IT!! And the Herpexia ad on the wall was hilarious. Also loved seeing the guy that Pestilence snot all over in the waiting room. Although I agree with Dean, swine flu seems a little low key for Pestilence’s cooties.
SO many wicked awesome lines. The Edlund totally delivered, and he still owns me.
Don’t I feel sheepish. If Brady wasn’t dead before, Crowley bashing his head in with a freaking crowbar ought to do the trick.
Wicked episode. heh so ben edlund wrote this one, which is interesting. makes sense as this episode really felt to me like the sam version of the season 4 episode ‘on the head of a pin’ was proberly why I loved this ep so much.
This definitely requires a rewatch because it’s a classic setup piece for the final two episodes, and the layers are only revealed after we peel. Of course, on the surface, still a fantastic episode. Mark Sheppard is, if not as beloved a character as Gabriel (obviously), an equally bit of brilliant casting. What a smart, smarmy sonofabitch.
Very cool to see Sam raging internally but having that control. Great shot of him walking past Dean after icing Brady, Dean not exactly sure how to take it.
Superb editing/film job on the hellhound battle. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of retconning, so the whole Brady killed Jessica thing is a bit ‘meh’ to me, but it’s certainly not a dealbreaker. (assuming Brady isn’t bullshitting).
I have to partially second a few of the comments in that there seems to be a lot of back and forth by both Sam and Dean on where exactly their emotional tipping points are. It was a bit more of a slow, calculated build last season. Both Jared and Jensen sell everything they’re given, which is why when Dean drives off with Crowley and he and Sam don’t have a mini-blowup (yes, I’m cognizant of the impending apocalypse, as I’ve used that myself to justify their actions before), it’s pragmatic (time IS an issue), but it seems to be a tad helter-skelter.
Perhaps slapping Occam’s real jagged blade on the thing, it’s simply a matter of the writers having to cram too much in too short a time frame. When you go from Sam, Dean, Ruby and Lilith to the freaking apocalypse.
I think sitting down for a 22-episode marathon once the DVDs are out will show a more seamless continuity than my meager brain is currently remembering, or I’m simply overanalyzing. Or underanalyzing.
Boy, that read like I didn’t like the episode, and that ain’t true.
While I really liked this episode, it was also clearly the set up for the next two episodes. Mark Sheppard rocked, and I was fine with him getting a large part of the episode. Brady…while I like what he means for Sam, I thought the actor was a little weak, and quite a bit of his stuff could have been cut for more quality time with the boys.
Regarding Sam, I am guessing that his idea to say yes and then jump in the cage is going to come up again. Maybe his demon blood will somehow allow him to fight. I would kind of like that. He would finally be able to take his “curse” and use it to defeat the ultimate evil. Of course he would then be trapped as well so….
Bloody Hell! Bobby, don’t you dare! 😯
Wheeee … Love Crowley, love the demonic desk toy, love the way that this whole set-up is so definitely going to go spectacularly tits-up at the last moment … Can’t wait! 😀
Hmmmm. Well. OK.
Have to agree with Mo Ryan somewhat- why did we get Pestilence’s understudy? Anticlimax. Also second Dean’s question: ‘Why is he (Pestilence) selling them soft-serve like swine flu when he’s got the Croatoan virus up his sleeve? While I thought the retrofitting of Brady worked and totally did not see that coming – the actor was good – overall I agree with Dean: ‘Holy crap, we don’t care’.
A couple of scenes were really very good and a couple of plot points were really not: the Bobby-Sam conversation was brilliant -by the way am I right that Bobby always calls Sam ‘kid’ rather than ‘son’?- with the fascinating teaser of the way they get Lucifer back in his cage could be wearing Sam, as was Dean in Brady’s office and Sam facing Brady when he was in the Devil’s Trap. And the ‘magical coin’ (seriously?) notwithstanding, hellhounds always fill me with dread – particularly when Dean has to face them. But thought there is no way Dean would not have smacked Crowley for tricking him – very out of character to be so bewildered. And Dean coming out of the elevator without the knife ready? Please. I don’t get it’. Think before the Brady reveal Sam was also VERY out of character – with the I-am-suddenly-a-man-on-the-edge-again coming as opposed to the very, very welcome Sam-the-Adult in Dark Side of the Moon and Point of No Return. No disrespect to Jensen or Jared who were both excellent – and beautifully shot and lit by Robert Singer and Serge Ladouceur (loved Dean in the elevator).
On a positive note, I do think the fact that no punches were thrown by either all episode rang true post-Point of No Return. And Sam locking Dean up, but not killing Brady and then Dean returning the trust with giving Sam the chance to have his revenge (although wouldn’t Sam have tried an exorcism in case his friend was still in there?) showed the balance they had achieved in their relationship.
Crowley …is good in small doses. I watch the show for Sam and Dean. Not Castiel. Not Bobby. And certainly not Crowley. Supporting actors step out of the spotlight, please. Thank ye kindly.
And though I have thought that Ben Edlund has been by far and away the best writer for the last two seasons, Crowley appeared to be veering dangerously close to Bela/Ruby-land circa Season 3 with making the Winchester’s look like idiots.
And the one-liners were flying so thick and fast that I think it went to Mark Sheppard’s head a little and there were loud loud LOUD echoes of the David Caruso Supernatural scene…’Well, I say: Jackpot’. (I agree here with Matt Damon – who f***ing does that? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOufqDs_eeI&feature=related). I know this might be heresy but it is a little like what I felt with Richard Speight’s performance last week (in fact it was almost a case of ‘the king is dead, long live the king’ with Crowley picking up the wise-cracking baton). When Richard chewed the scenery he really went for it – but when you saw the brilliance of that last scene with Mark Pellegrino you think – well if he can do that why ham it up? (NB Pellegrino seems to be able to avoid the scenery-chewing effortlessly). With regards to Sheppard however, anyone who can look as desperate as he did after blowing out the streetlight and deliver the line ‘I have sold sin to saints for centuries’ deserves another go.
And finally, while I think ‘Then why are you snake-oilin’ me?’ was vintage Jim Beaver, I wish bloody BuddyTV had not headed an article ‘will Bobby make a deal’ or something like that last week. I avoid spoilers except the trailers like the plague, but that phrase popped up when I was looking at reviews of last week’s episode. Spoilt the last scene for me. Assholes.
So overall…hmmm. Agree with Alice that it improves on re-watch, but agree with Alice, Elle2, Dany and Trina that it was a setup episode. Roll on next week.
Antoinette–I totally get what you mean about Spike. I love him but the writers made him so sporadic.
I loved this episode. I’m halfway into my rewatch but my mom had to go drop my sister off somewhere so I’m waiting for her. I love Crowley to bits–if they had to kill off Gabriel, I’m almost to say Crowley is a good recurring replacement. He makes me laugh a lot.
Loved Sam’s restraint and yeah, my first thought was he was controlling his anger so he’ll be able to hold onto Lucifer. Is that what the writers meant when they said Sam would get his redemption?
“Crowley …is good in small doses. I watch the show for Sam and Dean. Not Castiel. Not Bobby. And certainly not Crowley. Supporting actors step out of the spotlight, please. Thank ye kindly.” EXACTLY! Where do I sign?
Well this Supernatural fan can’t live on Dean and Sam alone. I believe this show needs its wonderful supporting characters to flesh out this world and keep it from narrow and closed-in. This season is seeing a cull of guest and recurring characters. I hope that they will keep Bobby and Cas at least for season 6!
I liked this episode on second viewing. Brady and Crowley were both very good. I miss Cas, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon!
Oh absolutely Dara. Don’t get me wrong. I love Bobby and Castiel. And Gabriel and Zachariah and Rufus and Jo and Ellen and Ash and Chuck and Lucifer and John and Mary and Crowley and Azazel and Andy etc etc and so forth. And wish they were all were going to be in Season 6 – and agree they add so much depth to the show (not to mention giving Jensen and Jared some much deserved respite).
It is the emphasis or proportion of the story on the two leads vs the supporting cast – and with regards to Crowley (and previously Season 3 Bela/Ruby) making the Winchesters constantly look like buffoons – that I question. Not that side stories/sub-plots or challenging the Winchesters is wrong at all – just the way in which it is done and the amount of time that is devoted to it needs to be right for me.
But ‘chacun a son gout’ – to each their taste. Maybe it’s just AndreaW and me!
I understand, magichappening. I don’t like to see my boys being made into buffoons either, and I agree there was a bit of that this episode and that Crowley is better in small doses. I also know what you mean about Bela/Ruby.
But I don’t have a problem with the occasional supporting character carrying the bulk of an episode every now and then — it’s a rare occurrence, it gives J2 some time off, and it doesn’t change the fact that the show is about Sam and Dean 🙂