Sam is freaking out, trying to hold back Dean, his conscience putting him in chains as long as they can’t confirm for sure whether Duane is infected or not.
Sam: We should keep him tied up and wait and see.
Dean: For what? For him to hulk out? Infect somebody else? No, thanks, can’t take that chance.
Sam holds him back
Dean: I’m not happy about this. It’s a tough job. You know that.
Sam: It’s supposed to be tough, Dean, we’re supposed to struggle with this. That’s the whole point.
Dean: What does it buy us?
Sam: A clear conscience, for one.
Dean: Too late for that.
Sam: What’s happened to you? You might kill an innocent man and you don’t even care. You don’t act like yourself anymore. You know what, you’re acting like one of those things out there.
Yes, Dean is not himself anymore, but Sam doesn’t know the reason for it, yet. One part of his behaviour grew on the painfully fertile soil of dad’s death. But most of it on the knowledge that John sold his soul for him, obviously. And the burden of what might happen to his beloved brother.
Beneath his devil-may-care demeanour is a frightened kid that has lost every hiding place except his armour… The kind of experiences Dean underwent since this season began made him lonely, down to his bones. He doesn’t know what to do. So, he does what provides some security for him – his job. The family business. And my heart breaks for him. Again. Did I mention, I hate this show?
And then Sam’s vision happens – almost.
Dean can’t do it. He is not as cold blooded as he should be, and probably Sam’s words did move him. He can’t do anything so incompatible to his nature, but then withdrawing again into his safe shell, not explaining to Sam why he didn’t do it. ‘We need more alcohol.’ For the exlosives, so Sam goes to get some from the dispensary. Bad idea, really. Yet how could he know that Pam will jump at him?
She shuts the door, and Dean and Mark are not fast enough – she bleeds on him. And infects him. My God, Sammy… the fear in his face – and in Dean’s – as they both realize what this means. Oh, no …
It’s your funeral
Sam is defeated now, accepting his fate and wishing to die. This is an expression we will see more often in the course of the show. There is no hope in his face, while Dean can’t stop fighting, urging the doctor to check his brother’s wound again, defending him against the trigger happy others.
Dean: Nobody is shootin’ my brother.
Duane: He’s not gonna be your brother much longer, you said it yourself.
Dean: Nobody’s shooting anyone!
Duane: You were gonna shoot me!
Dean: You don’t shut your pie hole, I still might!
Sam: Dean, they’re right. I’m infected. Give me the gun and I’ll do it myself.
Dean: Forget it.
Sam: Dean, I’m not gonna become one of those things.
Dean: Sam, we’ve still got some time.
Mark: For what? Look, I understand, he’s your brother, I’m sorry, I am. I’m gonna take care of this!
Dean: I’ll say this one time: You make a move on him, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?
Sam: Dean!
Mark: What are we supposed to do?
Dean: (throws him the Impala’s keys) Get the hell out of her. That’s what.
This is the moment the captain is ready to go down with the sinking ship. Dean’s eyes say it all – he will not leave his brother, not for the world. He is defeated now, too. Even though the others urge him to come and Sam does so, as well, ten horses would have to push and ten to pull to get him out of there without his little brother.
As Dean closes the door, he knows that neither will leave this place alive. He will shoot Sam when he turns. And then himself.
Sam knows it, too, and it’s tearing him apart. Hell, who am I kidding – it’s tearing me apart. I can hardly watch this. Dean’s trying-to-be-cool is like a blade digging into my flesh. Don’t do that to me, Kripke.
Sam: Dean, don’t do this. Just get the hell out of here.
Dean: No way.
Sam: Give me my gun and leave. (he knows what he’s asking. And what it would mean if Dean did leave, indeed. He’s scared out of his wits and desperate to see his brother giving up…)
Dean: For the last time, Sam, no.
Sam: (slams the cooling pack he’s been holding to his wound unto the table) This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.
Dean: I don’t know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa? (Oh, Dean, don’t do this, you’re torturing yourself by trying to remain strong)
Sam: Dean, I’m sick (I just can’t watch Sam weep… it’s like fire racing through my body, oh dear, plus I don’t want to believe he could actually be sick, I want to protect him… Strange that these emotions re-surface after having watched this episode a few times and knowing what will happen, and it almost hurts even more to watch Dean holding back his pain, oh, come on guys, what are you doing to me!)
It’s over for me. It doesn’t have to be for you.
Dean: No?
Sam: No, you can keep going.
Dean: Who says I want to? (This is a blow Sam does not expect, and Dean is finally being honest about how he feels)
Sam: What?
Dean: I’m tired, Sam. I’m tired of this job. This life. This weight on my shoulders, man, I’m tired of it. (There is no vigour anymore in his voice. It’s all gone, he is, indeed, at this moment, at the end. He couldn’t protect his brother. He can’t save him. What’s the use of his life anymore? You can almost hear his soul talking…)
Sam: So what? You’re just gonna give up? I mean you’re just gonna lie down and die? Look, I know the stuff with dad had-
Dean: You’re wrong. It’s not about dad. I mean, part of it is, sure-
Sam: Then what is it about?
Noises of approaching footsteps and knocks on the door save Dean – he doesn’t have to tell Sam what ails him, yet. He will do so later.
The town is emptied. Roanoke, take two.
Why can’t we live life a little bit?
So, the few survivors head out of the town, except for Dr Lee who needs to inform the authorities. And even though Dean is relieved that Sam will not turn into ‘one of those things’ he is even more worried now.
As they leave Rivergrove they will never learn of demonic Duane Tanner killing the sergeant to make a call to hell… just as Meg did and just as Brady will do in another episode.
This could be a kind-of happy ending. The light is soft, so is the piano music that accompanies the scene of two brothers sitting by a sunny lake, having a beer. Sam, however, can’t let it go. He needs to know what Dean meant, but the sweet, humorous manner in which he does clearly indicates that he has no idea of the blow he will receive any minute.
This is such a lovely brotherly scene – at first. Sam teasing Dean slightly to find out his ‘secret’, Dean pulling away in a bit of ironic fashion, telling Sam that they should go to the Grand Canyon, experience some exotic stuff, both exchanging benevolent, loving looks…
But then Sam notices, of course, that Dean is carrying more weight than expected, his instincts tell him that, and he just wants to help… oh, Sam, but Dean can’t imagine how you could help him, not when he promised to be quiet about it.
Dean: Right before dad died, he told me something. Something about you.
Sam: What? Dean, what did he tell you?
And – credits. Oh, upon first watching this episode this cliffhanger was killing me. The faces of the Winchesters burning in my mind I was hardly able to wait to find out what Papa John had burdened Dean with. And now – burdened them both.
These last days have been a bitter pill to swallow for the brothers. Not only did they learn of a demonic virus they had never heard of before and somehow knew in their guts that this was not going to be their only encounter with it – and furthermore: Sam being immune, despite infected.
This must have been too much for them to understand. Not only were visions plaguing Sam’s nightmares, he was also immune to a dangerous virus, why him? Would that apply to Dean, too, he might have been asking himself. Or was it just him because of his YellowEyes-connection? And what were the reasons for all that? What were the demons plans for him?
I’m sure, both Winchesters asked themselves these and probably many more questions, and I wonder how they were able to sleep after this.
Sam, for one, probably won’t when learning of John’s final message to his elder son. It will burden his young life even more, as much as Dean’s already has been… and was almost crushed under its weight.
This episode haunted me for a long time and remains one of my favourites to date. It’s one of the roads leading to a devastating moment that cuts through my body like a hot knife would through butter and confuses my emotions that are entangled – upon watching this show – with those of the Winchester brothers, almost as if they were family. I want to protect them. To jump into a scene like a deus ex machina, and save them from the cruelties the writers have prepared for them. Instead, I remain a trembling viewer, engulfed in so many hard-to-breathe aspects that I need a break after watching this one. Again. And again.
Thank you.
Coming up soon: a Croatoan report by Dr. Amanda Lee. Stay tuned.
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Hi, Jas,
Great open couch episode. So much to process and this one didn’t give answers for a long, long time.
I love how you draw the bits that both brothers are dealing with from what has already transpired and then knit them together with the bits that are to come.
The obsertvation of Sam as the research analyst, quick to put the puzzle pieces in order and Dean as the military strategist quick to note the quirks and that ‘it’s quiet out there, too quiet’ is also what makes the two so good as a team, nice notation by you.
I’m enjoying these moments on the couch that you’ve selected thus far.
🙂
Thanks so much, Elle2, for commenting on this article!
I do indeed see the brothers as a perfect team, and in this episode it is visible once more…
Happy that you enjoy my couch… Thanks and all my best, Jas
Another winner Jas. Croatoan is one of my favorites.
I’ve sometimes wondered if Jensen knew Dean’s secret during filming Croatoan, because even the first time I watched it, I could have sworn there was a tragic bit of relief in Dean’s decision to stay with Sam. Could be my own interpretation, but it seems to be there.
Thanks for giving the Impala some love! What a great hearted girl she is. That was a lot of strain put on her big body for this ep, but she saw Dean through.
Apologies, but my inner geek is coming out. Spoiler alert: At the risk of ruining the mythological proportions of the story…the Lost Colony of Roanoke isn’t just a ghost story but historical fact. There are some valid theories as to what happened to the people (who included the daughter of White, one of the Colonies founders and financiers, and his granddaughter Virginia, the first English child born on American soil.) Without going into too much detail, Croatoan may be a demonic name but was also the name of a nearby Indian Tribe. But there is still enough mystery surrounding the fate of the colonists that archeologists still search through the ruins for clues.
And I believe you’re right. There is some MacGyver DNA in Sam. After all, Jared did play the part of the Young MacGyver. The series might not have been picked up, but there is some MacGyver in his acting tool bag. I’m sure Kripke took this into consideration. 🙂
The empty blood-stained baby seat one saw for half a second actually got me more upset up than all the viral shenanegans put together! I’m such a wuss … 😳
Good review Jas. A lot of historical fact in this episode and they used it well. Loved, Loved the impala screencap! She is one good girl!
Jas,
Great article again, you know Croatoan is also high up there on my list and is one I re visit regularly. I love the brother moments in this, whether the parts where they are at odds with each other and disagreeing or working as the wonderful team we know them to be.
There is no reason at all to apologies for drawing everyones attention to the `Han Solo` moment it was memorable ( of course this would make `The Impala` `The Millenium Falcon`, again ) or Sam channeling MacGyver ( another show I loved and which was educational, I still remember him starting his car engine in the desert from a catcus and repairing the leaking nuclear reactor with a bar of chocolate?? )
The scenes after Sam is infected are really heartbreaking with Dean so weighed down with the burden of `the secret` placed on him he is ready to give up, then we also had a foretaste of things to come with him refusing to leave Sam to die alone despite Sams` desperate pleas.
I was lucky and saw these episodes on DVD so unlike you I did not have the wait for the reveal. That must have been a very, very long week.
Hi Jasminka
Great review. Croatoan is another one high on my list of favourites.
Any that are strong on the brotherly moments and the comedy are usually the ones high on my list.
I guess they were testing to see if Sam was immune to the virus, to ensure they could use it in the future. After all you can’t have Lucifer wearing Sam’s body and have it go all squirrelly when exposed to the virus. That’s all we would need, Luci even more demented than he already was.
This episode is one of my all time favourite. Season 2 in general have my favourite episodes.
Like others have said, it had great, strong, quality brotherly moments and that is the best part of any episode. It was also well written with the mythology and monster of the week being inter-woven with the progression of the brother’s relationship. Something lacking in season 5. That scene where we all know Dean was going to turn the gun on himself after Sam dies always gets me. It is both chilling and heartbreaking. I also loved all the supporting cast and most of all, the end scene by the lake. The Grand Canyon is somewhere i think they need to visit come season 6. They deserve it.
And ditto on them being a great team. They work so well together. This episode gets paralleled in future episodes so much. Especially in Point of no Return, The Devil You Know, & Swan Song. By Swan Song, we all knew how natural it was for Dean to decide that he would never let Sam die alone and how the fact that Sam was going to die was destroying him on the inside. And for poor Sam to have to know that his brother plans to die and how he was powerless to stop it. At least in Swan Song, Sam was for the first time, able to protect Dean from such a fate.
The brotherly love.
Yes, the brotherly love is very evident in this episode and it is also one of my all-time favorites. I also love the Impala scene where Dean escapes the Croats. Whenever I watch this episode I always have to replay that scene numerous times before I can proceed with watching the rest of the episode.
Jas, I also liked your analogy of the brothers about how they work well together. Each brother brings a distinct set of skills to the team. They are both skilled enough to do the job alone, but as a team, they are unstoppable.
As far as the scene in the clinic after everyone leaves and it is just Dean and Sam. I noticed here that all the scenes before that one, Dean’s voice is very gruff, loud and angry. But when it is just himself and Sam, Dean knows what their fates are, has basically resigned to it and his voice changes. His voice becomes soft, reserved, almost loving. It is a small difference, yet very powerful and a great change-up to really get the point across what must be going through Dean’s mind. (Jensen is always so fantastic at these little things-another reason why he is so great.) I love this scene and the boys play it out so perfectly. I just wish it weren’t interrupted by the others coming back. Would have like to see this play out longer, but I guess we kind of saw it when they were at the river.
Jas, again, wonderful review. Always look forward to reading your perspectives. Good food for thought.
Jas, thank you for another great article. Croatoan is one of my favorite episodes in my hands-down favorite season. In my opinion, season 2 has the best brotherly scenes in the whole series, generally speaking. Croatoan is one of the very best examples. The soon-to-dye Sam scene is a classic.
I know it’s not a very popular view, but I liked SPN so much better when it was just the two of them. Now there are way too many secondary characters stealing the spotlight. It’s just my feelings, of course, and I don’t want to start anything. 😉
Yvonne, Suze, Sablegreen, Julie, Karen, anene, Evelyn, AndreaW, being away for a while also means to miss all your sweet comments – but the fun is greater finding them upon coming back…
Yvonne, thank you for explaining some more about Roanoke and Croatoan – I was referring to a quote by Kripke who called it ‘America’s first ghost story’, but else I didn’t research more about it (for once I withstood the temptation to dig into the mystery – but you made me curious, so maybe I might). I didn’t know what Croatoan also is the name of an Indian tribe. Thank you so much for pointing that out. I love to learn.
Suze, I think I invented wuss… let’s print some t-shirts…. Or at least share a box of Kleenex.
Sablegreen, I know you love the Impala – that picture might be in there just for you….
Julie, isn’t it great to love this show that brings together so many loves of us? I got me the dvds afterwards (in England they were already on sale) to save me cliffhangers. Wisest decision. So, I could indulge in the heartbreak as much as I liked. I hated it. I loved it. Oh, dear…
Karen, I also think maybe at the time they shot this episode they were not entirely sure what to make of Croatoan and the idea of Sam being immune added to his mystery, no doubt. It had me biting my nails indeed.
Anene, indeed, so many dimensions come together here, all painted in sombre colours by the star-crossed relationship of the brothers. Imagine – knowing that you’re (allegedly) sick and will die or turn into something else and your brother will stay with you and then die, too… there hardly is anything more painful, isn’t it? There are so many moments of this kind of emotional impact in this show. I hope they will continue with it in season six.
Evelyn, my thoughts exactly – the best team possible are the Winchesters. And I couldn’t agree more with what you say about Jensen’s acting- the man always uses his voice to express certain nuances, and it’s so hard to do it authentically.
AndreaW, you are, of course, entitled to your opinion and I understand why you liked the show better with focus on the brothers… it might not be the most popular view, but it’s your view. And you are one of us fans… how boring would it be if we were all of the same opinion, dear?
Thank you all for commenting. Looks like I picked an episode many of you love, so – I am honoured by your comments and your love for the show.
Take good care, Jas