Here's one nitpick, why is Sam still killing people with the demon killing ginsu? Didn't he embrace his dark powers to save people from that? I know, it's a fine line, but he's all about saving people at the expense of himself, right? The least he could have done was learn the fake exorcism in Enochian. No, inside he leaves with the others feeling all good about themselves even though he's killed innocents. "I guess that's what it's like, huh?" "What?" Dean responds. "Having backup."

Since we all know this show too well, any moment of triumph must be short lived. The teenage boy, who really thinks Sam and Dean are super cool now, wants to ride back with them. Dean checks with Dad, it's okay, and he wait until they are out of sight before breaking out the beers. If a kid can kill demons, he can drink a beer. The kid is pretty excited and so won't tell his Mom. He leans against the Impala and at least gets in one drink before something underneath the car grabs his ankles. He goes down, Sam reaches down and has the demon killed with the knife in no time, but it's already too late. Aw crap, I liked the kid. Why couldn't this week's redshirt be his annoying mother? Dean holds the boy in his arms and isn't taking this death well at all.   You see, he's not too far gone!

For some reason, the Gossip Girl ads this season are ticking me off WAY more than others. No idea why. All I imagine is Sam and Dean coming along and pounding the living crap out of Chuck Bass and his smug look. He needs a little color in his face. Now that's a promo that would get The CW buzzing!

Now for the sad funeral and this annoying bitch mother reminds me a lot of the annoying bitch mother in "Faith." Bad actress, over the top behavior, shallow and not too bright. Why was she blaming Dean? Huh? You took your son into a freaking war zone lady! What were you expecting? Lollipops and candycanes? Okay, anyway, sad scene. Pastor Gideon's got it right, there are no words or answers for what happened. There's no good reason for any of it. Except God has left the building and angels and demons run amok. That might be a reason. Not a good one though. 

 

Leah then collapses and starts convulsing, and for some reason all I can think about is the scene in The Simpsons Movie where Grandpa Simpson did the same. I half expected her to start shouting out, "EPA! EPA!" That would have been better. No, instead this is where her sugary sweetness starts turning into manipulative bitch. She says Dylan is coming back when judgment day comes and they'll all be together. Everyone will be together with their loved ones. The angels have chosen them. They can have paradise on Earth if they follow the angels' commandments. Paul doesn't believe this but everyone else seems to be eating it up. 

This is where Castiel could have really done some good. He could have shown up in front of these people either now or later and given them hope by proving he was an angel of the Lord. "Don't listen to this bitch!" Then again, he wouldn't exactly be promising paradise on earth either. He'd be taking them to that liquor store. 

Sam and Dean come out of the church and Sam starts spouting off the rules. "No drinking, no gambling, no premarital sex. Dean they basically outlawed 90 percent of your personality." You know Sam, you aren't exactly a choir boy either. Dean is taking a "when in Rome," attitude. I get it. He's not cool with it, but he's not a prophet and he's not a local. No Dean, you've given up. Sam looks at him like "why are you giving up?" Dean will catch up with him later, because this is the part of the program where both brothers bond with the locals separately. 



Dean starts with twitchy, I mean Leah. She's on the couch with a supposed bad headache, but isn't complaining. Right, we aren't buying the preacher's daughter crap. We've watched this show enough, no one is that pure. She asks Dean what's on his mind. He wants to know is she's on the level about paradise. Come on Dean, like she's going to say no. Dean wants to know what the angels are telling her, for he has to know this is a fish story.   "Everything. Skip the rainbows." There's the Dean we love! "There's going to be a prize fight and its gonna to get bad. But after we win, and we will, the planet gets handed over to the chosen and it's finally peaceful.   No monsters, no disease, no death, you're just with the people you love." You know, she's actually not lying here. She's just talking about Lucifer's plan though, not God's.

Dean the skeptic continues. "That's of course if you can get past the velvet rope." Yeah, "the chosen" is the vague part. "Must be nice being chosen." She tells Dean he's chosen. Dean doesn't buy it. "Yeah, more like cursed." Then Leah says something that's so dead on accurate. "Must be hard, being the vessel of Heaven and having no hope." Wow, she must be demonic. She's so good at saying the right thing at the right time. Dean stares at her but doesn't say much. I'm still trying to figure out what's going through his mind, but we've got to move on. 

Sam walks into Paul's bar which is empty now. I love how one of the neon beer signs on the wall is "El Sol." There's continuity! I wonder if the show had to clear or license that name. Sam sits down to help Paul "kill some inventory." I think Sam's getting the far better end of the deal than Dean. Paul goes on. He loves the town, he grew up there, but has an issue with the holy rollers. You and me both pal! Sam has noticed he's not the praying type. Paul confesses half of those guys aren't. They were all in there before getting wasted and "banging the nanny" but now they're Warriors of God. Speaking of which, we're still missing a warrior of God. They both toast and drink their shots and I wish Castiel was there to do ten of them to their one. Sorry, but this episode really misses some angel potential!



Paul believes in demons for sure now, and if there is a God fine, but he's not a hypocrite. He's never prayed before, why start now? If he goes to Hell, he's going honest. You're fine Paul. If anyone deserves Hell it's the guy in front of you and he's been granted salvation. It's all good. He asks if Sam is a true believer. "I believe, I do. I'm just pretty sure God stopped caring a long time ago." Pretty sure? You've got far more proof than that Sam. They both scoff and it's a quick end to what otherwise is a good scene. I needed more there!  More talk about beliefs, fears, horrors, all that jazz. This is after all a freaking apocalypse. It was a chance to at least learn something new about Sam, like how Dean is freaking him out right now. 

Sam staggers into the motel room and I love drunk Sam. We don't get to see much of that. He would have had more, but it was curfew.   You know Sam, if you were rebelling against the drinking law, I'm pretty sure curfew could have been broken too. Dean is sitting on the bed all docile and there a coffee mug next to him. So he's actually drinking coffee? He is depressed. Sam mentions they shut down the cell towers. Dean didn't know, but doesn't seem to care. "No cable, internet, total cut off from (quoting fingers) the corruption of the outside world." Dean again doesn't care. Sam has to spell it out for him. "They're turning this place into some sort of fundamentalist compound." Ah, fun with the fundies. 



Dean gets it, but again doesn't care. Sam finally asks, "What's wrong with you?" Dean has to spell it out. "I get it, but I just don't care." I'm so glad how they're reading each other's signals (sarcasm). Sam is aghast. Dean wants to know what difference it makes. Sam, who's fired up now, wants to know at what point this goes too far for him. "Stoning, poison kool-aid, the angels are toying with these people." Nope, still not Dean's problem. "Since when is that okay with you?" "Since the angels got the only lifeboats on the Titanic." Now that's a great analogy!   No wonder Dean's so defeated.

Dean doesn't hold back now while going to get more coffee. "Who exactly is supposed to come along and save these people? It was supposed to be us, but we can't do it." Sam just comes right out and asks what Dean's been implying all this time (he's good at this). "So, you just want to stop fighting? Rollover?" Dean gives a complacent "I don't know, maybe."   Sam can't take this anymore. "Don't say that." "Why not?" "Because you can't do this." "Actually I can," Dean says, getting angry. Sam stands up and has the glistening puppy dog eyes going. "No, you can't, you can't do this to me. I got one thing, one thing keeping me going. You think you're the only one white-knuckling it here Dean? I can't count on anyone else. I can't do this alone." 





Dean listens at first, but by the end of Sam's speech it's clear he doesn't want to hear this. He can't deal with the burden right now. He puts down the cup, grabs his jacket and goes for the door. Sam says his name and Dean says he's going to clear his head. You can't do that Dean, it's past curfew. "It's past curfew," Sam warns, but Dean goes anyway. Sam repeats that to himself, but it's really not helping the fact he's a bit emotional now.