This wound is ripped open and laid raw after Kevin calls in distress. The brothers rush to Garth's boat to check on him, concerned that something may have befallen the prophet. Instead, they find a tired but triumphant Kevin, who informs them that he has finally cracked the code to close the gates of Hell. It consists of three trials that must be completed with an Enochian spell. These trials also come with great risk, and he tells them that "Whosoever chooses to undertake these tasks should fear not danger nor death nor a word I think means getting your spine ripped out through your mouth for all eternity." The first is no easy feat. Kevin informs them that they must "kill a hound of hell and bathe in its blood."
The brothers locate a family in Idaho that have struck it rich on oil. That in itself is unusual, as Sam explains, "which is weird because geological surveys---." There's no doubt that someone there made a deal and with it being near the ten year mark since they gained their wealth, the hell hounds have to be nearby to collect. Sam and Dean head to the Cassity farm to find out who's ticking clock is near zero so that they can complete the trial.
Their first night there proves that they may be already too late. Carl Granville is married to Alice Cassity---and has been torn to shreds by hell hounds. They didn't arrive in time to complete the trial, and now they must start from scratch to find another doomed soul to do it---or come up with another plan.
What is most striking about Dean's plan isn't its weaknesses--it's that it is a cry for help from one brother to another. Dean may be enthusiastic about closing the gates of Hell and doing this trial, but this particular endeavor is slicing deep. He is barely keeping his head above water, and while he may not have realized how raw the old wound would be prior to their arrival, after seeing what had happened to Carl he can't help but be thrown back to his own deal---and his own experience being killed by hell hounds.
In season 2, as Dean comes to grips with his father's deal---one that allows him to live---we see him start the struggle that will become most familiar in the subsequent seasons. He feels that he doesn't deserve to live, that he has far outlived his expiration date, and that "what's dead should stay dead." Dean wrestles at various times with the concept that he has been given another lease on life, that this is an opportunity, not a punishment. It is where we see Dean start to truly grapple with his place in the world, with hunting, and what it all means.
Once Dean makes his deal in season 3, he expresses to Sam, "Truth is, I"™m tired, Sam. And, I dunno, it"™s like there"™s a light at the end of the tunnel." Sam is quick to remind him, "That's hellfire, Dean." Dean sees his deal here as a way to make right what was an unnatural extension of his own life. He will get out---when he dies. It is a very fatalistic view, and it consumes him for much of the season---right up until before the end when he tells Sam in "Long Distance Call," "I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way outta this. I mean I'm staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, Hell. For real, forever, and I just---"
In Season 4, after Castiel and the other angels have raised him, Dean grapples with the aftermath of both having been killed by hell hounds and his time in Hell. We see this come to fruition in the episode "Yellow Fever," as he is facing his deal all over again, confronted by Lilith in hallucination. Dean may have been willing to die in season 3 for Sam's sake, but here we see the truth behind the facade, the true Dean under the bravado. He isn't as suicidal as he leads on, nor is he as hopeless as he sometimes behaves. Dean doesn't want to die.
That fact is precisely why in season 5 Dean refuses to become Michael's vessel.
Sam manages to get Dean to hold off on his crazy plan by telling him, "Carl didn't sell his soul for oil. He sold it for Alice." It means that there is another person at Cassity Farms staring down a hell hound. It's only a matter of time before they find that person---and kill the hell hound waiting for them.
They start to watch the Cassity family, coming together after Carl's death, trying to discover who made the deal. As Sam is inside with the contentious family, he overhears them talk about a British salesman that had been there ten years prior: Crowley. It validates Sam's suspicion that someone else in the Cassity clan had made the deal for their striking oil.
With Margo's deal being the one that got the Cassity's their wealth, the Winchesters now have to determine if there is yet another deal. It is their only shot to accomplishing their objective here---or go with Dean's ill conceived "plan B."
While Sam stands guard over the family to determine who might also have a deal hanging over them, Dean goes out to scout. Before he does so, Dean makes his biggest cry for help when he says, "I"™m a grunt, Sam. You"™re not. You"™ve always been the brains of this operation. And you told me yourself, you see a way out. You see a light at the end of this ugly ass tunnel. I don"™t. But I tell you what I do know, is that I"™m going to die with a gun in my hand. Because that"™s what I have waiting for me, that"™s all I have waiting for me. I want you to get out. I want you to have a life, become a Man of Letters, whatever. You with a wife and kids and grandkids, living until you"™re fat and bald and chugging Viagara. That is my perfect ending and it"™s the only one I"™m gonna get. So I"™m gonna do these trials and I"™m gonna do them alone. End of story."
As Dean stalks off into the night, we have to wait and see just how Sam responds to his brother's pleas.
It is Dean that discovers the last person to make a deal at Cassity Farms. Ruled out earlier because she is the help, it is indeed Ellie. She is Dean's avatar in every way. She is doing all the things he did in season 3. She tells him, "Why would I run? All I wanted was one last meal, some good tunes, and maybe---" Ellie hides behind a false bravado, goes out of her way to check off items on her bucket list, and is very accepting of her fate. She has sold her soul for a family member, too---in this case her mother. She tells Dean firmly, "I did it for my mom, Dean. What would you do for your mom?" Ellie also has her own celebration song, not unlike Dean's choice in "Eye of the Tiger," with "Touch Myself." Dean is stunned to learn that she knows that there is evil lurking out there when she says, "It's coming for me."
After Ellie hallucinates Dean as a monster, he realizes that time is drawing close, that the hell hound is nearby and prepares to kill it. He dons the glasses singed with holy fire so to see his quarry, and steps out, leaving Ellie behind in a goofer dust circle. Even though he couldn't get out of his own deal in the end, Dean isn't about to let Ellie face the same fate---he won't let her be ripped to shreds by them if he can do something about it.
It charges Dean, throwing him against a wall, knocking both glasses and knife free. In that moment, Dean is reliving his own deal coming due, trying to scramble against a monster he cannot see. Stubbornly, he has decided to face this alone, and it could possibly cost him his life---but he is not alone.
His cry for help was heard by his brother---despite Dean's warning that he would put a bullet in Sam's leg---and he has arrived just in time.
Wearing the glasses, Sam can see his target and shoots it with rock salt, turning its attentions and temper onto him. He races to get the knife, all the while the hell hound is snapping in his face. Able to see what he is doing, he holds it back by its throat and slices its open---in front of a stunned Dean. It bleeds out on him, the trial nearly complete. They had set out to kill a hell hound---and that is what they have done.
Sam, through out this episode, has been also experiencing his own story. As he takes in Dean's room with us, we see him put on the annoying little brother, doing something that he has never had an opportunity before---to mess up his older brother's room. He casually throws a candy wrapper onto the pristine floor---all to get a reaction his brother usually gets out of him: an unamused face. He is fond in his teasing about Dean knowing about kitchens and cooking---and pleasantly surprised by the results. Sam is boyish in his taking the burger with them on the way to Kevin's.
Dean's not the only one "nesting," as Sam starts to find the optimism surrounding them in the form of the Men of Letter's Bunker. He, too, is settling in, trying to soak up as much of the vast library's resources as quickly as possible. He tells Dean that he's been reading a bit of "everything." Just as Dean has begun to personalize his room, Sam is also realizing what this place truly is: theirs. This can become anything they wish it to be"”and as such he knows that it is worth fighting for. It is another reason why he must answer Dean's cry for help.
Sam knows that this lesson isn't the only thing his brother has taught him throughout the years. Though he has expressed doubt in the past about Dean's scholarly pursuits, he knows that he owes everything he knows to his big brother. In "Fresh Blood," Sam tells Dean, "Yeah, because I've been following you around my entire life. I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was four, Dean. Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother."
Sam didn't learn how to hunt from their father, John. He learned it from his brother. And he knows that Dean still has much to teach him.
He also knows that Dean is smart and capable. It is Dean that invented rock salt rounds and adapted a walkman into an EMF detector. It is Dean that can come up with some of their brilliant strategies in taking down a monster or facing down their big bad of the season. Dean may doubt his smarts, but Sam knows better. It's only a matter of getting his stubborn brother to see it.
While it hurts him to see Dean's setback, Sam does not let it discourage him from what they must do. While Dean is trying to push him away and trying to go it alone, Sam stands his ground, showing that he is no longer just the little brother, but Dean's true equal in every way. He tells Dean firmly, "I want to kill a hell hound and not die. How about you?" Sam is as resolved as ever---and throughout that resolve we see the hope that Dean needs to hang onto.
In answering Dean's cry for help, Sam does it twofold: word and deed.
Sam's killing of the hell hound isn't his proving to Dean that he is grown up or independent of his brother---nor is it even an affirmation that they are indeed equals. He doesn't have to do that here. Instead, it is Sam showing that when Dean needs help---even help he would never ask for---that his little brother will be there to pick him up. His pressuring Dean to allow him not only to complete the test by doing the spell, but also to complete the other trials isn't his pushing Dean away either. It is an opportunity for them to work together. Sam knows that he can't do it alone. He needs Dean to help him do this as much as Dean needed him to help him here. If they want to succeed at closing Hell, they must do it together, as brothers in arms.
Sam's killing of the hell hound is also for Sam's sake. He has been haunted by the multiple times he has had to witness his brother's death---in "Mystery Spot,"---and more importantly at the claws and teeth of hell hounds in "No Rest for the Wicked." Sam was powerless, forced to watch in horror as his big brother, his hero, was savagely ripped to pieces in front of him. As much as Dean has been affected by this case and what the hell hounds and Hell did to him, Sam has a wound around it just as old. Here, now, Sam can do something about it. His brother has been knocked aside, is now the target of the angry hell hound. Either Sam kills it here or watches, again, his brother die. He has been struggling with that since Dean's return from Purgatory---knowing that he just cannot take seeing his brother die again. We saw this aspect of Sam's pain explored in depth in "Heartache." He understood why Brick would choose death rather than watching Eleanor die. Now, now Sam can take action, do something about it, and start the healing of his own wounds. His killing the hell hound makes up for that terrible moment when he watched Dean's life be ripped out and his soul dragged to Hell right in front of him. Sam has sought retribution for that for years. Now he has had it.
To back up his actions, Sam tells his brother in an emotional push, "Closing the gates. It's a suicide mission for you. I want to slam hell shut too, okay? But I want to survive it. I want to live. And so should you. You have friends up here, family. Hell you've even got your own room now. You were right, 'kay. I see light at the end of this tunnel and I"™m sorry you don"™t. I am. But it"™s there. And if you come with me, I can take you to it."
Sam is right when he tells Dean about the things that they do have. Dean does have a room---one that can become his sanctuary in time. He has friends in Kevin, Mrs. Tran, Garth, and Charlie. While so many were lost during the previous seasons---Jo, Ellen, Ash, Rufus---Bobby---they are now acquiring new allies and new friends. It is worth fighting for---and Sam wants Dean to remember that.
Most of all, Dean has family in Sam, and Sam closes Dean's objections down by stating, "I am. And so are you. You"™re not a grunt, Dean, you"™re a genius. When it comes to lore...you"™re the best damn hunter I"™ve ever seen. Better than me, better than dad. I believe in you, Dean, so please, please, believe in me too."
Sam, even in the darkest of times, has been a hopeful character. He sees good in other people, sees worth in their fight, even when he struggles, and loves deeply through it all. We see it in his steadfast faith in prayer, his attempt to save Madison, and even at his darkest hour in "Swan Song," that he knows his sacrifice will save the world. Even when Sam finds himself---as he did in season 5---in need of redemption, there is hope there. Its flame has always burned inside his heart, being a beacon to both brothers when they need it most. All of these aspects of his character lace through this speech, as one brother answers another brother's cry. He may have endured many dark periods in his life, faced down dire destinies, and grappled with his own place in the world, but Sam has always had hope underneath it all. Now it is the gift he offers freely to Dean.
It is in this that we see Sam and Dean's future become bright. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for them and it could be glorious---but only if Dean takes Sam's offer to lead him there.
The Cassity Clan played by Tamara Braun, Alisen Down, Candice May-Langlois, and Francis X McCarthy provides for some hilarious moments. They provide much of the comic relief amongst the drama. Each member of the family seems to slice deep, push buttons, and thrive off the fight. Cindy, played by Braun, tells McCarthy's Noah to "Get cancer and die, old man," to which he retorts, "You first, sweetie." On the surface, none of these characters are particularly likeable, but we can't help but find the humor in Sam's uncomfortableness in first monitoring and then guarding them. Each actor here feeds off the other, making their one liners zip and their confrontations comical against the backdrop of demon deals and Dean's setback.
Danay Garcia brings Ellie to life here. She is no nonsense, appraising the boys quickly before agreeing to hire them on. Garcia makes Ellie endearing quickly as we learn more about her. She is passionate, evidenced by her pleas to feed the animals organic grain. Garcia puts all of Ellie's determination and resolve into her carriage, but it is her facial expressions that give her true emotions away. With slight smiles we see Ellie's amusement, with brief glances Garcia conveys Ellie's interest in Dean, and with tight frowns we see her fear and sadness about what will happen to her with her deal due. She has good chemistry with Ackles here, and it is in the scenes discussing her deal that we see her character become fully realized through her performance. Garcia makes Ellie likeable, which makes us invest in her story.
Jensen Ackles breaks our heart in this episode. He starts off with showing us a contented Dean, proud and pleased with the room he has fashioned for himself. We have the emotional punch of him talking to his mother's picture, and Ackles makes sure we feel Dean's love and grief with the simple whispered, "Hi Mom." Ackles gets most of the humorous lines here, too, but keeps them subtle. Dean is boyish in his joy about memory foam, petulant in his missing his room when on the case and again in the stables with the horses, and full of dry wit about Kevin's living situation. Ackles turns Dean on a dime from content and amused to scared and full of bravado. In his delivery of Dean's speech about how things will end for the elder Winchester, we see Ackles make it clear that this is not a statement of fact, but more a cry for help. He is hard edged and wound tight---especially in his treatment of the Cassity family. With Ellie, we see Ackles make Dean softer, understanding, and compassionate. He can relate to her---even before he knows the deal is due---and we see that in their various interactions. Ackles presents a drowning Dean well, making us want to console him ourselves, and reassure him that while he is feeling his way through the dark that it will be alright. He makes us---even when Dean is in full hunter mode---see the little boy inside through his performance. Dean can sometimes seem like a simple character that sees things in black and white or one that shoots first and asks questions later, but through Ackles we see that Dean is an extremely complex and layered person. He is equally the brother in need of help, but he is the capable hunter and big brother, too.
Best Lines of the Week:
Dean (to horse): I hate you.
Cindy: Get cancer and die, old man.
Noah: You first, sweetie.
Sam: I want to kill a hell hound and not die. How bout you?
Dean: You get them clear, I spike Fido, crowd goes wild.
Sam: I am. And so are you. You"™re not a grunt, Dean, you"™re a genius. When it comes to lore...you"™re the best damn hunter I"™ve ever seen. Better than me, better than dad. I believe in you, Dean, so please, please, believe in me too.
It looks like this week the brothers must stop misguided witchcraft---and help an old friend.
Comments
I hadn't thought of Dean as actually "calling for help" there. Interesting interpretation, worth some thought.
I agree that both brothers would've been thinking about their last encounter with a hell hound, though. Sometimes I wonder how these two stay sane. lol
It just hit me, the second viewing, that Dean wasn't really saying these things to Sam to push him away or do it alone. He was begging for help. The rest sort of fell into place for me. As I looked at what they were trying to do, it just made sense. Dean was remembering his own deal, what happened, and floundering.
It is amazing that these two are even able to function, but boy am I ever glad that they can and do!
Thanks again!
Dean's room was great right down to the Purgatory weapon on the wall with the other guns and knives and the special touch of the picture of him and his mom (according to Kevin Parks that was a picture of young Jensen photoshopped with a picture of Mary). Then there was Dean's grilling skills put to surprising use for Sam. I think it is something he picked up while with Lisa that year since fb showed them at barbeques and the fact he had to cook for him and Sammy while John was out hunting all the time. I found it humerous how they both grabbed their burgers to go when they got the call from Kevin.
Finally seeing what a hellhound looks like was pretty cool also. We've seen pictures in books but this is the first we got some kind of visual even if it was like a mirage. Just loved this episode, did I already say that?
It had to come down to Sam being the one to do the trials because I think Dean needs to help Cas at some point here with the Naomi crap. I caught the podcast with Kevin the other night and he said the glow in Sam's arm represented a contract being established between Sam and God that he would be the one doing the trials and the first one was completed. I can't imagine the other two are going to be much fun either but I do know it will require the brothers working together like they do so well.
I have to admit, I cried my first draft writing this review. I usually only cry when writing my fiction, but here I was so moved by what they did in the show.
My first viewing is blank usually. I don't think about it, I don't internalize, and I was at first a bit off put by Dean's speech. It seemed like a regress to me, like we've done this before, and he had grown past it only to do it again? I really wanted Sam to smack some sense into him at that point.
My second viewing, having the beginning, middle, and end in mind, it all started to shift around in my brain and make sense. Dean wasn't saying those things because he was falling back into an old pattern of thought. He was waving a flag in his brother's face to come help him. The rest more or less started to fall into place for me then. The plan he came up with, to trap a cross road's demon, and how idiotic that plan truly is was my first clue that Dean was screaming for help.
The second, aside from the deal making and hell hounds lurking, was Dean's room. It was amazing. No one who is that sure they're going to die or is planning to commit suicide puts that much care into their space as Dean does here. I loved the albums, the weapons, the picture, the way the bed was made perfectly, all of it. And yes, he shows off his grilling. This man has a lot going for him.
I loved seeing the hell hound on screen, too, but to be honest I can't wait for it on Blu Ray. My CW affiliate is crap. I enjoyed how cool the beast looked, but through my CW's grainy, crappy picture I am absolutely positive that I missed so many awesome and amazing details. September 10th cannot come fast enough for me.
I had originally wanted Dean to kill the hell hound, but in retrospect it HAD to be Sam. The once upon a time boy with demon blood, slated to lead a demon army as one of the Special Children of Azazel, and then Lucifer's vessel? Oh yes. He has to be the one to close down Hell. I think you're right that Dean has to help Cas and deal with Naomi, too.
And yes, they must work together. Sam's offer is what will start putting them on that path for good, I think.
Thanks again!
I'm glad you liked my take here. It really resonated with me and the more I pondered it, the more layers I found. I'm sure, if I were to watch it again, I'd find more.
I'm glad I could, in some way, make your viewing experience better. I just like to share what I see, and hope others like what I say.
Thanks again!
This episode would not let me rest until I wrote about it. I tend to over think, I'm sure, but the more it processed the more I just wanted to write about it. Day after, while at work, was probably the hardest, as more ideas, images, and arguments to make about the story flew at me. I'm glad it congealed into something passable.
I balled my second viewing of this episode, when Sam delivers that speech at the end. It was really the speech that made me turn everything over again in my head and go back to the start to get the rest.
Thanks again!
I'm glad I could provide a fresh perspective here. It just made sense to me. Their history with hell hounds has been bad. With Dean's deal, with Jo and Ellen's fate, it just made sense to me that this wouldn't be as easy as Dean tried to sell it to Kevin.
Thanks again!
On the hellhound, not sure how clear we'll get. I watched on LED HD and it was like a blurry hairy evil looking thing. You could make out the red eyes and the sharp teeth but since it was a night time shot not sure how much clearer they can get or if they even want to.
Who knows? Sam's been so engrossed in those books, it's possible he heard Dean thumping around wrestling with it or moving things in his soon to be room and just decided to leave Dean alone.
I hope that it's at least a bit clearer. I'm amazed when I see the show on Blu Ray and realize just how much I've missed either on my crappy CW or on TNT or even on DVD. So many little details just pop, and I suspect this will be the same thing.
I think, in that speech, Dean did mean what he said there, but it just seemed like more to me. I think he truly does feel that he has one ending coming his way---dying on a hunt, big or small---and he certainly meant that.
I think you're right, though, that it's possible Dean didn't even realize he was crying out, too. It's possible that Sam heard it that way or decided to take action to prevent his brother from making his speech turn into prophecy here.
Thanks again!
I do have to admit something though. After watching it 4 times now I can finally watch with a little less emotion(plus I can just plain see it better without that eye issue!). I have begun to move a little from total elation and warm fuzzy to some fear and trepidation. That glowing arm thing concerned me and I told my friend that night it looked way too much like Dean's arm with Benny being transported in it.
The other thing is Jared's interview where he mentioned Sam trying to hide what the trials were doing to him from Dean. That made me cringe a little because I don't want them keeping secrets again. It NEVER turns out well for them or us! So please not like the demon blood thing!
I haven't read Jared's interview, spoiler phobe that I am, but I don't think Sam's hiding it the same way he did the demon blood. It's pretty hard to hide that it affected him as well. I think he was trying to hide some of it so Dean wouldn't retreat back to his "protect Sammy, I'll do the trials," mentality just after getting Dean to relent.
I think it'll be interesting to see what the next trial turns out to be and how that plays out down the road, too.
Thanks again!
I was thinking as I watched the episode that Dean's history with hellhounds must have been on his mind - we know from S3 that Dean's way of dealing with fear is usually to become reckless to the point of self-destructio n - a kamikaze. I believe that's what he was doing here with his gung-ho, almost manic attitude about ganking the hellhound, and the highly unwise suggestion of summoning a crossroads demon.
Cry for help? I think about how bright and clear his eyes looked when he said, "I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand," and I tend to think that was just Dean at his most hopeful. He'll take what he's given for however long it lasts - his own room, new friends, a memory foam mattress - but I think dying in a blaze of glory, knowing Sam is safe and has a future, is the truly the best Dean dreams for himself. He's just been through too much shit. And even the fact that he has any wants is a far cry from the fatalism and nihilism of S7, IMO.
In short, I think Dean meant every word that he said, but he was scared of going up against that hellhound. There was real danger there, and he just went into self-sacrificia l "Protect Sammy" mode. Hence the speech. But Sam was awesome in his word and deed response, definitely. :)
I have to agree. Dean, afraid, will just go guns blazing, and Sam knows that. I think that's why I really saw his behavior as a cry for help to Sam---he knew his little brother would pick up on that behavior and do something about it.
I have to agree that Dean's speech had some truth in it, that he did mean quite a bit of it. It just seemed like so much more to me, considering what they were doing and what fear does to Dean. He meant to throw himself away in s7 against Dick Roman, here he was struggling to face a monster that killed him brutally in the past.
And I think Sam put that together himself to stop his brother from doing something foolish.
Thanks again!
I thought the performances by Jared and Jensen in this episode were stellar... and I agree with all your points.
But the moment that really got to me was after Sam had said the incantation and had doubled over in pain. Jensen was perfect - showing on Dean's face his total fear for Sam. And Jared, oh my, the way he said his line, 'I can do this', was wonderful. Sam was putting on a brave face for Dean, but you could tell he was scared by what just happened. His voice was shaking; so utterly convincing.
Kudos to both Jared & Jensen in this episode - they 'kicked it in the ass'.
Oh absolutely. The Js really made me cheer for these characters. I think they're so absolutely amazing and know their characters so well now that they know just how to draw out those reactions. It was powerful when Sam said, "I can do this," to me, too.
They totally kicked it in the ass and I can't wait to see what they have to do next with these two amazing characters.
Thanks again!
I love SPN so much. I enjoy watching the show and I enjoy reading the comments almost as much. Your perspective, those of the other writers and viewers help me see new aspects each time I re-watch a program. I love how Sam and Dean's characters are being written this season and how the actors continue adding dimensions to their all ready multi-dimension al characters.
I wasn't sure how Dean could face the hell-hounds with his history and the history of those he's loved and lost. Yes, he would courageously facie evil. It is so wonderful when this show stays true to its roots-when the brothers work together they are practically invincible!!
I agree with your analysis. Anyone who takes so much pride in his room and his "nesting" skills doesn't have a death wish. I think the "Batcave" just continues to help the characters grow. We get to see what "home" mean for each of them. When Dean pulled out the photograph of his mom and put it on his nightstand, boy did that make me teary. Sam smiles because he again sees not only the tough exterior- the guns, the knives, the "memory-foam" bed, but also the true interior- a man who is strong from having been loved so much and that makes him able to time and time again give all he has-the hunter, the genius, being fearless, being sensitive, being someone Sam can always look up to and depend upon.
I love this show and this site. Thanks so much for your insight.
I have to agree with you that this episode showed how this show is still the same as it ever was at heart, and that's what really made me happy here.
I also loved how Sam got the chance to see a bit into Dean. I hope we get to see something like that for Sam, too.
I'm glad I could write something that helped enhance your view/take on this one. Thanks again!
I did cry while writing my first draft, so I can understand. These boys can do that to us, can't they?
"It is a contrast to season 3's dialogue about Dean seeing the “light at the end of the tunnel,†and Sam retorting that it is “hellfire.†They are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel here---one where they can survive the fight. For a long time, the brothers have seen themselves as a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid duo, destined to go down in a blaze of glory. They have determined that if that is the case, they will do so together, fighting. But here, we see a different path start to emerge. There is a bloom of hope here, and Sam is cultivating it for all its worth. The possibilities for the Winchesters has never been brighter---or nearly as endless as they are right now."
Oh, PLEASE, PLEASE, CHUCK, LET IT BE TRUE!!
I don't think Dean really was suicidal at all. Not here. He has much to live for. I think that part of him meant everything he said, part of him went into full "protect Sammy" mode as others have mentioned, but it just seemed to me that he was waving a flag in Sam's face to say that he was struggling a bit.
I can't blame him. If I had been killed by a hell hound the way he had, I'd be a bit nervous about facing one head on.
I have to agree that Dean's view on hunting and the life is one of a realist---that you don't live all that long doing it---but I think that's sometimes a bit too simple.
I think that's why I found Sam's speech so moving. Yes, he has walked away more than once from the life and has proven that he can exist without hunting, but since "Torn and Frayed," I feel that Sam has committed to both hunting and to his brother. He might not be able to take seeing Dean die again, but I got the sense that by killing the hell hound he's starting his own healing process from those experiences. I, too, want to see more of a direct exploration of Sam's state of mind here about that. Dean told him "both feet in or both feet out" and since he put both feet in he's decided to find the hope, to make their future bright, not simply just facing an early hunter's grave. I hope that we see that bore out in the remainder of the season and season 9.
Thanks again.
One very good reason for reading comments/review s of the show is to get another take on the episode. And many times the different take is one that makes so much sense and seems so right and fills out the characters very clearly.
Thanks so much for it.
I truly hope my take on this episode made some sense. I tend to write my response to an episode in a total vacuum. I cut myself off from the fandom at large and don't read any reviews until I'm done getting my impressions on the page done.So I never quite know if I'm on the mark or off the mark with the majority.
I think that's what makes doing this fun. My take is one view, someone else sees it differently, and somehow in the middle we meet.
I hope the next review I write does the same!
Thanks again!
I liked the way you drew the parallel with Dean's words in season three. I wondered if I was over analyzing but in the context (the episode seemed to reference so much of past seasons) it seemed to fit. Also great view if the Cassitys and Ellie. I am aware that they weren't appealing to everyone but I found them hilarious.
Well, thanks again.
I, too, first viewing, found Dean's speech a bit regressive, so when I went back to the beginning I had to figure out just what was making him tick there, why was he saying these things after making so much progress with things. It just started to make sense as I thought about what the brothers were facing here. And when you throw in that they were confronting people facing their deal coming due, it just all fell into place.
I had to somehow understand how the man we see in the beginning of the episode goes from being proud and content with his room at the Bunker to being so reckless. I'm glad that you liked my view on that. It really did call upon a lot of past seasons in the Then segment especially, so it just made sense to pull those in to my take, too.
The Cassitys were pretty awful when you think about it, but I found them funny. I dunno why.
Thanks again!
I loved this episode. It shows the brothers are 100% committed to each other. For those who have doubted Sam's love for Dean this should leave no doubt whatsoever. When Sam was chasing down the hell-hound he saw Dean in trouble and jumped in to save him, exactly as Dean would have done for him. Unfortunately there are those who don't like the fact that Sam is now the one to do the trials instead of Dean. But, as stated either in your review or in someone else's comments, just as it took both of them working together to pass this trial, it will take both of them working together to be successful in passing the two trials that remain.
I don't believe Dean is suicidal nor do I believe his speech to Sam was a cry for help. I really don't think that. I think it was precisely as he said. Dean has accepted long ago that this job will be what kills him for good, and most likely at a young age. He refers to it in Faith and comes right out and says it in Chris Angel is a Douchebag. Dean has simply accepted that, and his acceptance of this "fate" is what allows him to live in the moment and enjoy the good times when they do come. So, he is going to enjoy the Batcave and everything it has to offer, (such as his own bedroom) to the fullest. I hope we get to see Sam's room. I know Dean will do everything he can to stay alive and well, after all, how else can he ensure that Sam is safe? So no, he is not suicidal. When Sam states closing the gates of hell is a suicide mission for Dean he's showing that he understands Dean is willing to sacrifice himself in necessary to save others, to shut the gates of hell. This state of mind may prevent him from seeing an alternative way of achieving the same result without him ending up dead. I hope Dean truly does follow Sam and believe in him and that together they reach that light at the end of the tunnel Sam is aiming for. Why do I have a nagging feeling it's not going to work out quite they way I'm wanting it to? It won't surprise me one bit if this is what the season ending cliffhanger is about.
Once again, thank you for this and all of your reviews, they are a joy to read.
I'm glad that you like my positive slant. I try to approach these reviews by looking at what the story gave us, not what it didn't, and try to figure out what it means to me. I'm glad that you like how that turns out. Is this show perfect? No, but I'm always so glad that I see something of value, something that makes me happy every episode, even if that's something small.
I absolutely agree that Sam's commitment and love has been affirmed here. I have never doubted that about Sam. I know it's sometimes more subtle in his character, and that we don't always get to see the direct action/word from him, but I feel that we got that in spades here, which made me very happy. It really made the brother story powerful and profound again for me in more ways than I can probably count or describe.
I have to agree with you that Dean does see hunting as a short lived career and that it will be what kills him someday. That being said, in this particular episode I feel that he was still reaching out to Sam in some way. He does live life to the fullest, knowing that his is probably going to be shorter than most. I'd like to think that Sam's light at the end of the tunnel will lead us into a hopeful ending for the brothers when that time comes. I don't know if we'll see the Hell Gates SL wrap by season end. It's hard to say what the plans are. I do think we might see some cliffhanger surrounding it and possibly the angel storyline.
What really struck me in this episode and has with this show since I started watching it is how emotional it makes me. It has changed me in so many ways, and this episode did that for me. Sam's speech, delivered expertly by Jared, really made an impact, which led to what I wrote about it here. I'm glad that you enjoyed that take, even if we're not in complete agreement here. I hope that you'll continue to enjoy what I write about the rest of the episodes, too!
Thanks again!
I don't want to think Dean is suicidal. I think his attitude comes from the way he grew up from the time he was four years old. He was charged with looking out for his little brother even though he was not emotionally able, physically able or knowledgeable enough. That would be enough to make him realistic about the most likely ending to his life.
I agree that he is asking Sam for help. I think most of what he says is asking Sam to go with him and help, not just for back-up but to be a family.
These latest episodes are making me very emotional!
I have to agree. There is so much influencing Dean. His childhood, his deal, the hell hounds taking him to Hell. Dean is so complex---and I find an episode like this reminds us of that fact.
I like that you think he's asking Sam not just for help, but to be a family. It's been Dean's biggest wish all along, that they be a family.
These last few episodes have packed some punch, and I think the roller coaster is just starting it's climb. I expect to see more emotional moments as we near the season end.
Thanks again!
I hope that helps answer your question.
One thing had by laughing though. When Dean said he had a memory foam mattress (It remembers me, oh Dean, you are so cute when you are clueless), all I could think about is, how the hell did he get that to the bunker? Did he get Sears to deliver it? or did he strap it to the roof of the Impala, cause those babies are freaking heavy!
I think this episode was one of those turning points for both brothers. I hope that Dean listened closely and we see him start to trust both Sam and himself more---and that they maybe can have a brighter future for it.
It depends which mattress he got, I guess. Working in retail as I do, I know that some mattresses are boxed. Many of our Memory Foam products in my store are boxed, actually. It'd be neat to find out just what type it was and the back story on how it got there, though.
Thanks again!