Warning!!!! If you haven't seen the latest episode of "Supernatural" and the preview for next week, do not read this! There is going to be plot-based speculation and discussion! You've been officially warned!
Boy, did that episode seem chock full of stuff or what? Yeah, that's probably because it WAS chock full of stuff. Let's start out with what I feel was the biggest development, and that's...
Crowley Flambe
I will admit that I did not see this one coming. I kind of can't believe Cass torched Crowley's bones and that Crowley is dead. I thought Crowley was going to be the big bad of the season and that the Winchesters were going to be fighting him all season long. But nope, out he goes in a blaze of glory. In episode 10. I guess following on the footsteps of last season's fiery deaths in episode 10, we needed one this season. I don't think Crowley himself thought Castiel would actually torch him, either, or he would have been bargaining his ass off and not being so smug. Because he was all about self-preservation. I'm going to miss him, but I'm also a big fan of this development because it's really thrown a curve in the plot. I have NO IDEA where we're headed, and I really kind of like it. It's like being on a roller coaster in the dark. Ever ridden one of those? Man, is it fun. So count me in. I am totally on board with what's going on right now.
What Does This Mean For Hell?
Now that Crowley is gone, who's in charge of Hell? Are we going to get a civil war down there like we have in heaven? Maybe the Lucy Loyalists are going to fight the Crowley Rebels and we'll end up with a huge mess on our hands. As Karen brought up in the Chat Box after the episode, are all the deals Crowley made null and void now or did he pass them off to someone else? I can't see all those deals just getting vaporized now that Crowley's gone, but his death does leave an interesting power vacuum. And he mentioned in "Weekend at Bobby's" that not everyone was happy with the way he had been running things. I'm sure we'll meet the new ruler of hell at some point.
Who Is The New Big Bad?
I thought it was Crowley, but now it's not. So who is it? Maybe things will swing toward the war in heaven and Raphael and Balthazar will play bigger roles. This will be good because it means more excuses to get Castiel into the picture. But this season was supposed to be more about monsters, so maybe it still will. Presumably, Cass went back to that warehouse and killed all the monsters that were in there. Who knows what other alphas were in there and how many monsters were there. At the very least, the shapeshifter alpha is dead, which kind of sucks because that guy was a badass. So what if the monsters are really pissed about the way things have been going for them lately and put all these armies they're building to use and really start running amok? Maybe it's time for a little monster mash. The alphas storyline is really interesting to me, so I hope it doesn't fall by the wayside.
Sam And His Soul Are Frenemies
Now, while it was hard to watch Sam walk away from his brother, I can't blame him this time. Last episode, Dean made the case that having a soul was all about suffering. This week, Cass and Crowley and Meg all agreed that Sam's soul is in a bad way after being locked in the cage for over a year. If all you hear is how bad it is to have a soul, why would you want yours back? This was really the first time I felt the whole "no, I don't want it" was justified and made sense. But someone, preferably Dean, needs to show Sam that having a soul is not just suffering, that there are amazing things that come with it.
The Samuel Situation
Well, relations between the Campbells and Winchesters sure have gone south in a hurry. Not that Dean ever really felt comfortable with any of them, but he killed Christian tonight and threatened to kill Samuel. And at this point, I think it's a distinct possibility that there is going to be a showdown between those two because they're more alike than they realize. Samuel is desperate to get Mary back, and he thinks everyone around him should feel the same and do everything they can to help him. Dean is desperate to get Sam's soul back and feels everyone around him should feel the same and do everything they can to help him. Iresistible force, meet immovable object. Of course, Dean didn't sell Samuel out to a demon and put his life in jeopardy, so he's got that going for him. But Samuel is going to be epically pissed when he finds out Crowley is dead and Sam and Dean were partly responsible for it. Because he felt Crowley could give him his daughter back, and that was more important to him than anything else. Still, he should really stay away because if Dean promises he's going to kill you, he's going to kill you. Just ask Zachariah.
The Preview For Next Week's Episode
If you haven't seen the preview for "Appointment in Samarra," check out Sablegreen's spoiler page. She's got it posted there. I'll wait. Okay, now that we've all seen it or know what the episode description is, I have to confess, I'm really excited about this episode. Death! Tessa! Bobby in peril! Off the reservation Sam! But something I'm rather nervous about is the following situation: what if while Dean is playing Death, Bobby actually dies and Dean has to make a choice to reap him and get Sam's soul back or let Bobby live and Sam doesn't get his soul? Oh, the angst! Not that I think Bobby is actually going to die, because he's not. And we all know that while Dean would choose his brother over anyone, Sam's life wouldn't be at stake, so he obviously wouldn't reap Bobby. But still, it's a possibility, and it would be so intensely heartbreaking that I don't want it to happen. Because if Sam did kill Bobby and force Dean to make that choice, how would they ever forgive him, even if they knew it wasn't really Sam? It hurts so good!
That was a lot to digest. What do you guys think is in store for the rest of the season? Were you as shocked by Crowley's death as I was? Do you hope to never see Sam walk away from Dean like that again?
Comments
That curveball? Ya, totally unexpected. Delightful surprise. Thanks show!
If angels and demons agree on something - call me nuts - but I pay attention.
I would too. Don't think I would want my soul back neither if I had to fear to end up as a veggie.
But still I want me cute Sammy back so no matter what - they have to find a way to put it back into Sam without him going nuts.
Was thinking that when Dean had his out of body experience the reaper was the one that put him back in. So maybe next week something good will happen.
On the otherhand I just can't figure out what the storyline is going to be.
Crowley is gone. With him is the storyline of the alphas. Well basicly he was the one looking for them. So I guess that was it with the monster of the week eps.
The Campells - not much of a story there. Even though I do hope Dean holds up his promise he made to Grandpa. What's left? Soulless Sam.
Gosh I do hope I am wrong. Just don't want this going on the whole season.
Yvonne - you still up doing happy dances?
Who said there is going to be a king. Why not a queen?
Got someone in mind for that - Lilith
It has thrown a huge curveball because, as Ardeospina said, we don’t know who’ll be the next big bad but if there’s going to be one, my money would be on Meg. Thing is, I can’t see a reason why Meg would want or need to go against Sam and Dean? They’re not a threat to her or any plans so has so I think, for her, Sam and Dean would be redundant at this stage.
Personally, I don’t like the idea of adding ANOTHER character at this late stage and setting them up as the main antagonist. I don’t think there’s a need for it. There’s enough going on with the Alphas, Samuel, Sam’s soul and Purgatory without adding another big bad to the mix.
In relation to the next King of Hell, was Crowley actually King of Hell or was he just blowing to make himself seem more important (the whole double digits thing....) I mean, he doesn’t seem overly powerful, Meg had him in knots by merely flicking her wrist and he died awful easy for the King of Hell. Plus, there’s a part of me that feels its very clichéd that Sam and Dean should only deal with the biggest demons out there.
So now that we know where Sam’s soul actually is (not in Crowleys keepsake box), I genuinely can’t think of a single reason why, or a single circumstance in which, he would want it back. I know people mention all the positive points of having a soul but if Sam can’t emote then he can’t relate. It would be like looking at photos of someone else’s wedding. Unless you’re emotionally invested, they’re just meaningless snapshots.
Logically, it would make zero sense to want it back. Jeez, it would be akin to reattaching a previously amputated gangrenous leg. It’s a part of you but with it back on you, the odds are it’s going to kill you.
I’m going to be a sentimentalist and say that Dean won’t kill Samuel, partly because Samuel, despite the fact he sold them out (again), is still family and that’s what’s most important. The thing is, Samuel and Dean are more alike than either one of them wants to admit. Samuel is risking everything for his daughter; Dean risked everything for his brother. Dean may know how to live without Mary but he doesn’t know how to live without Sam, that’s the reason he’s been slowly killing himself over the years; between making deals, trying to stop the blood drinking and now getting Sam’s soul back.
In relation to Sam walking away from Dean, this is the first time I wasn’t gutted by it because it wasn’t a 'You v Me' type thing. Plus, despite the fact he was walking away from Dean, they still had a common purpose; Sam’s wellbeing, they just differed in what they thought it should be. Sam’s ‘I’m saying something you don’t like’ line was great because (for me) it’s been the crux of the major issues between them; saying and doing things the other doesn’t like.
Thing is, what if Dean decides to get Sam his soul back without Sams consent (does Sam know about Deans deal with Death?) and the soul insemination goes wrong and Sam is left a jibbering mess locked inside in his head. What then? How will Dean cope with that knowledge? At that stage, which would be worse? A healthy Sam with no soul or a souled up, crippled, emotionally traumatised Sam?
Ooooh, the questions!!
I am curious as to what happens with all the deals he made that were still outstanding. Being the King of Hell I would think these deals were made by him and only to be collected by him, so would they become null and void? Or maybe they are held until a New King of Hell takes over.
It will be interesting to see if they follow up with that storyline or they put it to rest.
I think right now the focus will be on heaven and The New Big Bad will be probably be Raphael and/or Balthazar.
It was sad watching Sam walk away from Dean. I can’t blame Sam for changing his mind about getting his soul back. He needs to hear positive things about having a soul so he will want to take the risk of bringing it back. Right now all he sees is the negative.
I understand Samuel wanting Mary back and would choose to keep his deal with Crowley over helping Sam and Dean. Like he said Mary was his daughter and the boys are strangers to him. But to not see that Dean’s reasons for choosing Sam over Mary were exactly the same as his? He obviously very self-absorbed. I wonder if he will come after Sam and Dean for revenge.
I unfortunately did watch the preview and regretted it. I understand Sam’s reasons but if they actually have him kill Bobby, then to me the writers would have gone too far. I really don’t like this storyline, I‘ve hated it from the start. I really want the brothers back as a team. How is Dean ever gong to forgive Sam if he kills Bobby? Sam still has a brain and he still has his memories, he knew enough to think Bobby would pass as a substitute for John. So to know this and to know it’s wrong just makes Sam a despicable character. And I hate that they are taking Sam to this lowest point.
But other than that...wow. I honestly did not see that coming. They killed Crowley. I'm going to miss his royal snarkiness.
Okay, I'm going to do I told you so.
And OMG, what's going on with Cas? I was with Dean there with the "what the heck" when Cas kissed Meg? Cas is looking tired, exhausted. Worse than when he was losing his angel mojo. There is a story there and I actually want to know what it is and me not being a Cas fan says something right there.
Sam not wanting his soul back is not unexpected but I love that the writers gave us a reason to agree with him. I think the hardest part for me is trying to figure out Sam's motivations. Now, what I'm going to say may upset some folks and I wish to say that I really, really hope that what my gut is saying is wrong. Its really hard to strip out emotions when trying to figure out why someone does a thing. But with Sam we have to continually remind ourselves that its cold calculating logic and the drive to survive that motivates him. I fear that Sam could very well be our big bad. I can't help but thinking (and fearing)that he's manipulating everyone around him (including us the viewers) and it is truly masterful. He sits back letting the players around him push and pull, eliminating each other one by one, stepping in only when its most opportune for him to do so. And the only way in the end to stop him will be for Sam to get his soul back, no matter what condition it's in.
This ep was sooo fast paced. I kept feeling like I was trying to catch my breath. You are absolutely right Ard, this is like riding a roller coaster in the dark. And I'm loving it.
Interesting thought, no?
When Cas arrived with his bag of goodies, I was like 'how did he get Crowley's bones?', Then whish all gone, no more Crowley. WOW :shock:
I do not want a soulless Sam to be the bad guy.
I want Sammy back.
Gramps is so getting to get his. Dean will not let him get away with selling him and Sam out.
I do want to say, that I enjoyed this episode a whole bunch.
Some have also raised the question as to whether Dean has the 'right' to force Sam to take his soul back when, in his clinically analytical current state, the younger Winchester clearly doesn't want it. (Can't say I blame him either when you look strictly at the facts as presented.)
But I'm going to say, yes.
Way back when (Playthings), Sam made Dean promise to kill him if he ever went darkside. Soulless Sam, to me, is simply darkside Sam of another colour. Without emotions to temper his actions and judgment, he's a brutally efficient hunter who simply does what needs to be done to attain his goal. If innocents get killed in the process, so be it.
And that's not Sam.
And no one knows this better than Dean. If the real Sam had a say, would he want to live out his life as soulless Sam? I think not, and I'm pretty sure Dean's of the same mind.
The difference here is Dean has a chance to get back the real Sam - or so he believes. I loved the scene in Caged Heat when Cas spelled out how damaged Sam's soul could be; for a moment, Dean looked so broken, and then his 'I can fix this' instincts kicked in. Does it fly in the face of what he told Samuel? I suppose it does, but that's the thing about having a soul - you often think with your heart not your head.
Stubborn, protective Dean is one of my favourite flavours so I'm really looking forward to next week's episode to see just how far he (and Sam) will go to attain their goals...
It's the real Sam down there being torn apart by those two angels, and Dean has it right, it is worth everything to rescue his brother's soul.
now that they reveal eve (mother of all) as the new main baddie for this season, maybe we'll see her rally up a army of monsters against humanity, hell, and heaven
this would mean that angels of heaven (now in peace with raphael on the run) needs to temporarily ally with the demons of hell and hunters of earth to take on and drive back eve
im hoping that we'll see crowley come back from purgatory, saying that when the dragons released eve, crowley placed his foot on the door to purgatory, leaving a small space between the boundary between earth and purgatory before eventually slipping himself out of purgatory and we'd see
hunters demons vs monsters vs angels