Supernatural: Reichenbach
October 16, 2014 7:47 AM - Season 10, Episode 2 - Subscribe
Sam Winchester continues the search for his brother, Dean, and receives a tip from an unexpected ally on where to find him. Relations between Dean and Crawley, the once and desired future king of Hell, begin to break down as Dean fails to respect the concepts of contract law. The angels, Hannah and Castiel, head off together to meet up with Sam to find Dean, and both are tempted by Metatron who offers something of impossible value at an impossible price.
Also, the Sherlock Holmes reference implied by the episode title is intriguing.
posted by obloquy at 12:13 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by obloquy at 12:13 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Heh, yeah, totally spent more time on Transformers growing up than Angelic history. I'll regretfully ask the Mods to fix that. Thanks for pointing it out!
posted by Atreides at 12:56 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 12:56 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
The reference to Reichenbach is definitely interesting and the second I saw the title I was wondering what they planned to allude to. In the Fall at Reichenbach (it's close to that!) we have our hero apparently fall to his death fighting Moriarity. Eventually, after much popular demand, Doyle resurrected Holmes (resurrection - that NEVER happens on Supernatural). I have to wager that we're supposed to approach this episode with regard to the event versus the aftermath. One note, though, "fall" is missing. So is this episode leading up to a fall?
We have the episode conclude with the two brothers facing off, Sam wanting to rescue Dean and Dean having none of it. Likewise, we have what's his name, the avenger guy who held Sam hostage and then let him go, facing up to Dean. That confrontation was supposed to result, in that guy's mind, as the hero taking down the villain. Instead, the villain won. There was no fall, both parties survived. Yet, Sam did succeed on getting the special handcuffs (courtesy of the Men of Letters) on Dean to take him back to that headquarters.
Additionally, we didn't have the angels fall for METAtron's offer to free him, either. This was an emotional/conversational confrontation which resulted in everyone remaining where they began.
Demon Dean is definitely more ruthless and uncaring than the last episode. Sam tried to argue that Dean still had humanity in him, while Dean responded that his actions were far more cruel than humane (regarding allowing what's his name to live with his defeat). And I gotta go. Doh. More thoughts later!
posted by Atreides at 2:57 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
We have the episode conclude with the two brothers facing off, Sam wanting to rescue Dean and Dean having none of it. Likewise, we have what's his name, the avenger guy who held Sam hostage and then let him go, facing up to Dean. That confrontation was supposed to result, in that guy's mind, as the hero taking down the villain. Instead, the villain won. There was no fall, both parties survived. Yet, Sam did succeed on getting the special handcuffs (courtesy of the Men of Letters) on Dean to take him back to that headquarters.
Additionally, we didn't have the angels fall for METAtron's offer to free him, either. This was an emotional/conversational confrontation which resulted in everyone remaining where they began.
Demon Dean is definitely more ruthless and uncaring than the last episode. Sam tried to argue that Dean still had humanity in him, while Dean responded that his actions were far more cruel than humane (regarding allowing what's his name to live with his defeat). And I gotta go. Doh. More thoughts later!
posted by Atreides at 2:57 PM on October 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Dean was fantastically creepy in this episode. But Sam managing to capture him with just a little splash of Holy Water to distract him from the Demon Cuffs seemed pretty ridiculous
In the car, though, Sam brought up that Dean was apparently being merciful by letting the kidnapper go, but Dean said he was actually torturing the kidnapper even more by letting him live -- and then said that what he's doing to Sam isn't merciful, either. So I wonder if he actually decided to go with Sam to better be able to torment him. Which would make sense, because if driving around with Demon!Dean isn't precisely Sam's version of hell, I don't know what is.
I was actually surprised that Dean wasn't even bothering to lull Sam into thinking that less has changed than it has. He was pretty upfront with Sam. I loved that scene where Sam comes into the bar and asks Dean to come home with him, and Dean just laughs. MAX bitterness. SO EXTREMELY bitter. I actually feel that that's very much in-character for Dean too, just sort of turned up an extra notch. I'm really enjoying this demon thing, and I hope they stick with it. The character's more interesting than he's been in ages.
And wtf is going on with Sam? He looked like he had the flu and had been in a car accident all just that morning, he looked terrible. I was thinking that maybe his hurt arm is just something random/irrelevant, like maybe the actor just happened to hurt his arm playing soccer or whatever. But then when they showed Sam's face in the bright light of the bar, he had those big circles under his eyes and looked really beat up and haggard -- so I guess his injury really is part of the story. I actually wonder if he's also possessed somehow and his body is falling apart (a la Castiel or even Dean) or if he's maybe using his own body/strength/blood/something as an ingredient in some kind of ongoing spell?
I also thought it was strange that Dean didn't even say anything about Sam looking so tore up. I wouldn't expect him to be gentle toward him, being a demon and all, but it's not like it's every day someone just shows up looking TERRIBLE like that, you'd think he'd at least be curious. And then Crowley didn't say anything, either. Well anyway.
Crowley being so maudlin was kind of confusing, I thought. On the one hand, I guess it's mostly because he's human-ish now, but on the other hand, he was being exceptionally maudlin even for a human. Flipping through his goofy selfies with Dean? What was that about? I doubt he's going to get rid of the jawbone-knife, because he didn't even bother to make up a real lie about destroying for Sam ("I'll throw it in a volcano"? *snort*), he showed no signs of planning to destroy it afterward, and most of all, I don't know why he would destroy it, because it gives him a ton of leverage with Dean. As long as he has the jawbone-knife, he can pretty much count on Dean coming back to get it. I would assume that's also why he and Sam made the handoff right in front of Dean, so that Dean would know that it's in Crowley's hands, which would make Dean easier to keep track of.
Of course, I also wonder if Sam specifically led the kidnapper back to Dean, rather than getting "tricked" into leading the kidnapper to him after the kidnapper let Sam go. Because come on, that's the oldest trick in the book, that's something that *literal* hunters do -- I can't imagine that Sam wouldn't think of the possibility? But on the other hand, I don't know what the point of that would be, from Sam's perspective.
Demon Dean is definitely more ruthless and uncaring than the last episode. Sam tried to argue that Dean still had humanity in him, while Dean responded that his actions were far more cruel than humane (regarding allowing what's his name to live with his defeat).
What I find interesting/cool about this, and about the demon storyline in general, is that this kind of psychological, slow-burn torture is not really something demons do a lot of, is it? It's in character for Dean in particular, in that he's always held grudges and clung to the past and brought things up/got upset about things that happened a zillion years ago -- he's never been one to just get over things. But, in general, the demons seem to be too callous and self-centered to even care about tormenting people like that. Even Crowley doesn't give a shit and just wants to do Pragmatic Soul Collection, and he's half human by this point.
Also, as -- was it Crowley or was it Sam? -- as someone pointed out within the episode, it was counterproductive on a practical level for Dean to kill the wife instead of the husband who was selling his soul in return for her death, and that he did that was maybe indicative of empathy. But I actually thought it was more indicative of empathy for him to get into the kidnapper's head to mess with him and torment him even more. The only way he could understand how much it would hurt the kidnapper to be kept alive after failing to kill Dean would be for Dean to be able to feel empathy for him. Maybe that Dean's still in his own body or connected to the Mark or something is actually keeping him somewhat human (or at least non-demon), but human/non-demon in a bad way? In a way that makes him even more bitter, angry and prone to mind-games than he would be otherwise, or than the other demons seem to be?
posted by rue72 at 6:51 PM on October 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
In the car, though, Sam brought up that Dean was apparently being merciful by letting the kidnapper go, but Dean said he was actually torturing the kidnapper even more by letting him live -- and then said that what he's doing to Sam isn't merciful, either. So I wonder if he actually decided to go with Sam to better be able to torment him. Which would make sense, because if driving around with Demon!Dean isn't precisely Sam's version of hell, I don't know what is.
I was actually surprised that Dean wasn't even bothering to lull Sam into thinking that less has changed than it has. He was pretty upfront with Sam. I loved that scene where Sam comes into the bar and asks Dean to come home with him, and Dean just laughs. MAX bitterness. SO EXTREMELY bitter. I actually feel that that's very much in-character for Dean too, just sort of turned up an extra notch. I'm really enjoying this demon thing, and I hope they stick with it. The character's more interesting than he's been in ages.
And wtf is going on with Sam? He looked like he had the flu and had been in a car accident all just that morning, he looked terrible. I was thinking that maybe his hurt arm is just something random/irrelevant, like maybe the actor just happened to hurt his arm playing soccer or whatever. But then when they showed Sam's face in the bright light of the bar, he had those big circles under his eyes and looked really beat up and haggard -- so I guess his injury really is part of the story. I actually wonder if he's also possessed somehow and his body is falling apart (a la Castiel or even Dean) or if he's maybe using his own body/strength/blood/something as an ingredient in some kind of ongoing spell?
I also thought it was strange that Dean didn't even say anything about Sam looking so tore up. I wouldn't expect him to be gentle toward him, being a demon and all, but it's not like it's every day someone just shows up looking TERRIBLE like that, you'd think he'd at least be curious. And then Crowley didn't say anything, either. Well anyway.
Crowley being so maudlin was kind of confusing, I thought. On the one hand, I guess it's mostly because he's human-ish now, but on the other hand, he was being exceptionally maudlin even for a human. Flipping through his goofy selfies with Dean? What was that about? I doubt he's going to get rid of the jawbone-knife, because he didn't even bother to make up a real lie about destroying for Sam ("I'll throw it in a volcano"? *snort*), he showed no signs of planning to destroy it afterward, and most of all, I don't know why he would destroy it, because it gives him a ton of leverage with Dean. As long as he has the jawbone-knife, he can pretty much count on Dean coming back to get it. I would assume that's also why he and Sam made the handoff right in front of Dean, so that Dean would know that it's in Crowley's hands, which would make Dean easier to keep track of.
Of course, I also wonder if Sam specifically led the kidnapper back to Dean, rather than getting "tricked" into leading the kidnapper to him after the kidnapper let Sam go. Because come on, that's the oldest trick in the book, that's something that *literal* hunters do -- I can't imagine that Sam wouldn't think of the possibility? But on the other hand, I don't know what the point of that would be, from Sam's perspective.
Demon Dean is definitely more ruthless and uncaring than the last episode. Sam tried to argue that Dean still had humanity in him, while Dean responded that his actions were far more cruel than humane (regarding allowing what's his name to live with his defeat).
What I find interesting/cool about this, and about the demon storyline in general, is that this kind of psychological, slow-burn torture is not really something demons do a lot of, is it? It's in character for Dean in particular, in that he's always held grudges and clung to the past and brought things up/got upset about things that happened a zillion years ago -- he's never been one to just get over things. But, in general, the demons seem to be too callous and self-centered to even care about tormenting people like that. Even Crowley doesn't give a shit and just wants to do Pragmatic Soul Collection, and he's half human by this point.
Also, as -- was it Crowley or was it Sam? -- as someone pointed out within the episode, it was counterproductive on a practical level for Dean to kill the wife instead of the husband who was selling his soul in return for her death, and that he did that was maybe indicative of empathy. But I actually thought it was more indicative of empathy for him to get into the kidnapper's head to mess with him and torment him even more. The only way he could understand how much it would hurt the kidnapper to be kept alive after failing to kill Dean would be for Dean to be able to feel empathy for him. Maybe that Dean's still in his own body or connected to the Mark or something is actually keeping him somewhat human (or at least non-demon), but human/non-demon in a bad way? In a way that makes him even more bitter, angry and prone to mind-games than he would be otherwise, or than the other demons seem to be?
posted by rue72 at 6:51 PM on October 16, 2014 [2 favorites]
Wait, wasn't the original Cain - the brother killer - human and then turned into a demon by the Mark? Because he sold his human soul, not agreeing or expecting to be a demon, in order to protect his brother's soul from corruption (which have been the only way previously to turn into a demon - a human has to choose to become a demon willingly, through corruption but there's always a decision, as opposed to posession which leaves the human soul intact, and the human souls in hell (like Bobby's!) are in prison, but aren't demonic) - it was the Mark that turned Cain into a demon after death without Cain's corruption or choice, so Cain was a demon with some kind of free will/humanity.
And Dean, the original Righteous Man, on the rack in hell has already given in to the torture the way Crowley and other humans-then-demons did, but Castiel came down and rescued him before he crossed that threshold.
I bet that the Mark from Cain and the handprint from Castiel will at some point come to mean something. Oh wait, continuity and coherence from Supernatural, wtf am I thinking.
posted by viggorlijah at 1:55 AM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
And Dean, the original Righteous Man, on the rack in hell has already given in to the torture the way Crowley and other humans-then-demons did, but Castiel came down and rescued him before he crossed that threshold.
I bet that the Mark from Cain and the handprint from Castiel will at some point come to mean something. Oh wait, continuity and coherence from Supernatural, wtf am I thinking.
posted by viggorlijah at 1:55 AM on October 17, 2014 [2 favorites]
And wtf is going on with Sam? He looked like he had the flu and had been in a car accident all just that morning, he looked terrible. I was thinking that maybe his hurt arm is just something random/irrelevant, like maybe the actor just happened to hurt his arm playing soccer or whatever. But then when they showed Sam's face in the bright light of the bar, he had those big circles under his eyes and looked really beat up and haggard -- so I guess his injury really is part of the story.
Unless I'm missing something, he looks like crap because he spent a good amount of time being tortured by Mr. Vengeance Is Mine. You hear his arm crunching at one point. Speaking of which, it's not Supernatural without torture!
I felt this was a big step up from the season premiere. It still lacks narrative drive, but it's getting better and what's actually there is interesting. Watching Dean walk the "is he or is he not fully evil" tightrope is pretty interesting. Probably the closest he comes to "good" is offing the murderous, cuckolded MRA instead of his wife.
posted by brundlefly at 12:51 AM on October 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Unless I'm missing something, he looks like crap because he spent a good amount of time being tortured by Mr. Vengeance Is Mine. You hear his arm crunching at one point. Speaking of which, it's not Supernatural without torture!
I felt this was a big step up from the season premiere. It still lacks narrative drive, but it's getting better and what's actually there is interesting. Watching Dean walk the "is he or is he not fully evil" tightrope is pretty interesting. Probably the closest he comes to "good" is offing the murderous, cuckolded MRA instead of his wife.
posted by brundlefly at 12:51 AM on October 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, Castiel needs to get his mojo back and fast. Tired and sad Cas is just not fun to watch and the whole road trip/car crash/nap on the couch "story" was one of the least interesting B plots I've seen on a TV show in a long time.
posted by brundlefly at 1:03 AM on October 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 1:03 AM on October 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
Unless I'm missing something, he looks like crap because he spent a good amount of time being tortured by Mr. Vengeance Is Mine. You hear his arm crunching at one point.
I think Sam already has the arm sling by the time Mr. Vengeance is torturing him? At least in this second episode it looked like he did, I don't remember whether that was the case in the premiere and uhhhh don't feel like watching it again, lol. Maybe Mr. Vengeance gave it to Sam? Seems pointless and strange if he was just going to keep beating him, though.
The sling especially raises my eyebrow because the left forearm, which Sam is apparently keeping immobilized, is where Dean has the Mark, too. So I wonder if Sam is up to something. Like maybe mutilating his arm in the same spot to do some...I dunno, magic thing? If there's a way to incorporate mutilation into a storyline, I'm sure SPN will find it.
On the other hand, maybe the actor just hurt his arm and needs to wear a sling and it has nothing to do with the story at all, I honestly can't tell. Even that scene in the bar where I thought Sam looked really haggard, you're right, he was coming off of getting beaten (though he didn't really look beaten up, he looked sick/tired?) and was also doing the whole "not crying!" thing, which was maybe making his face all blotchy...and again, maybe the actor just happened to be fighting off a bug or some random thing when they were filming. No idea if Sam looking like kind of a wreck is part of the plotline or not. Still find it weird that Dean wouldn't even comment, though. When someone shows up wearing an elaborate contraption that has like three straps going all around their body to immobilize their arm, wouldn't you at least want to be like, "what happened?!" And I doubt Dean would hold back out of politeness. But I digress.
I also did like Sam in that scene, it was my favorite in the episode aside from the ridiculous(ly fun) fight between Mr. Vengeance and Dean, because I liked how Sam kept his cool and just took out the handcuffs and didn't even bother hiding them or bullshitting. Dean keeps telling people they have no idea what they're dealing with, I think he said it maybe three times in this episode, but I guess Sam actually does know pretty well? He was acting like he knew. Also, I don't really know how he could even "not know what he's dealing with" at this point -- if he doesn't know how to deal with demons *and* how to deal with Dean by now wtf does he know? He's the world's foremost expert on both those things.
Probably the closest he comes to "good" is offing the murderous, cuckolded MRA instead of his wife.
He murdered that MRA douche, and he beat the guy in the strip club, and both those things seem pretty "demon-y," but otherwise, wasn't he just ornery and rude? I mean, he tried to be hurtful when he was talking to people but that seems like a really low bar for "demon activity." Also, he's been acting ornery and rude for years at this point, so I don't really consider this a huge change, even though it's amped up a little more now. I rewatched the old Cain episode from last season because I couldn't remember enough about the Mark to even enjoy wondering about it, and Dean was a HUGE ass and just tired-out that entire episode, before he even got the Mark. Even Crowley was saying things like Dean needed to lighten up and Dean needed to stop with the self-loathing and other "enough with the bad attitude" stuff like that. Even though I guess he also liked the bad attitude because he's weird. I feel like Dean is some bizarre dad surrogate for Crowley, he acts like a mischievous little kid around the dude and always seems to like when Dean gets extra "get off my lawn!" I guess Dean makes him feel young again. Well anyway.
That's what I like about this demon thing -- Dean is still recognizably himself, it's not like he's gotten a total personality change. If anything, he actually seems happier or at least more chilled out. I want him to just be a demon from now on.
Oh, and also, that conversation in the car, when Dean was saying that it wasn't merciful to let Mr. Vengeance live? I just had the thought that that was a weird conversation from at least Sam's POV, because Sam *completely* got his ass handed to him by Yellow Eyes multiple times and survived to tell the tale, and wouldn't Dean be Mr. Vengeance's version of Yellow Eyes?
Just had the thought, too -- last season, Cain was saying that what ended up happening between himself and his brother was that Lucifer was talking to Abel, but Abel thought he was talking to God, and Cain made a deal that he'd send Abel to heaven himself and pledge his soul to hell. The mention of Lucifer makes me think, because Sam obviously has an up-close-and-personal relationship with Lucifer and was literally talking to him for a while there (dunno if Lucifer was actually appearing or if it was just Sam hallucinating, though?). I wonder if Sam is getting into contact with Lucifer again, and if Lucifer might even be helping him?
posted by rue72 at 1:57 AM on October 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
I think Sam already has the arm sling by the time Mr. Vengeance is torturing him? At least in this second episode it looked like he did, I don't remember whether that was the case in the premiere and uhhhh don't feel like watching it again, lol. Maybe Mr. Vengeance gave it to Sam? Seems pointless and strange if he was just going to keep beating him, though.
The sling especially raises my eyebrow because the left forearm, which Sam is apparently keeping immobilized, is where Dean has the Mark, too. So I wonder if Sam is up to something. Like maybe mutilating his arm in the same spot to do some...I dunno, magic thing? If there's a way to incorporate mutilation into a storyline, I'm sure SPN will find it.
On the other hand, maybe the actor just hurt his arm and needs to wear a sling and it has nothing to do with the story at all, I honestly can't tell. Even that scene in the bar where I thought Sam looked really haggard, you're right, he was coming off of getting beaten (though he didn't really look beaten up, he looked sick/tired?) and was also doing the whole "not crying!" thing, which was maybe making his face all blotchy...and again, maybe the actor just happened to be fighting off a bug or some random thing when they were filming. No idea if Sam looking like kind of a wreck is part of the plotline or not. Still find it weird that Dean wouldn't even comment, though. When someone shows up wearing an elaborate contraption that has like three straps going all around their body to immobilize their arm, wouldn't you at least want to be like, "what happened?!" And I doubt Dean would hold back out of politeness. But I digress.
I also did like Sam in that scene, it was my favorite in the episode aside from the ridiculous(ly fun) fight between Mr. Vengeance and Dean, because I liked how Sam kept his cool and just took out the handcuffs and didn't even bother hiding them or bullshitting. Dean keeps telling people they have no idea what they're dealing with, I think he said it maybe three times in this episode, but I guess Sam actually does know pretty well? He was acting like he knew. Also, I don't really know how he could even "not know what he's dealing with" at this point -- if he doesn't know how to deal with demons *and* how to deal with Dean by now wtf does he know? He's the world's foremost expert on both those things.
Probably the closest he comes to "good" is offing the murderous, cuckolded MRA instead of his wife.
He murdered that MRA douche, and he beat the guy in the strip club, and both those things seem pretty "demon-y," but otherwise, wasn't he just ornery and rude? I mean, he tried to be hurtful when he was talking to people but that seems like a really low bar for "demon activity." Also, he's been acting ornery and rude for years at this point, so I don't really consider this a huge change, even though it's amped up a little more now. I rewatched the old Cain episode from last season because I couldn't remember enough about the Mark to even enjoy wondering about it, and Dean was a HUGE ass and just tired-out that entire episode, before he even got the Mark. Even Crowley was saying things like Dean needed to lighten up and Dean needed to stop with the self-loathing and other "enough with the bad attitude" stuff like that. Even though I guess he also liked the bad attitude because he's weird. I feel like Dean is some bizarre dad surrogate for Crowley, he acts like a mischievous little kid around the dude and always seems to like when Dean gets extra "get off my lawn!" I guess Dean makes him feel young again. Well anyway.
That's what I like about this demon thing -- Dean is still recognizably himself, it's not like he's gotten a total personality change. If anything, he actually seems happier or at least more chilled out. I want him to just be a demon from now on.
Oh, and also, that conversation in the car, when Dean was saying that it wasn't merciful to let Mr. Vengeance live? I just had the thought that that was a weird conversation from at least Sam's POV, because Sam *completely* got his ass handed to him by Yellow Eyes multiple times and survived to tell the tale, and wouldn't Dean be Mr. Vengeance's version of Yellow Eyes?
Just had the thought, too -- last season, Cain was saying that what ended up happening between himself and his brother was that Lucifer was talking to Abel, but Abel thought he was talking to God, and Cain made a deal that he'd send Abel to heaven himself and pledge his soul to hell. The mention of Lucifer makes me think, because Sam obviously has an up-close-and-personal relationship with Lucifer and was literally talking to him for a while there (dunno if Lucifer was actually appearing or if it was just Sam hallucinating, though?). I wonder if Sam is getting into contact with Lucifer again, and if Lucifer might even be helping him?
posted by rue72 at 1:57 AM on October 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Oh, I may had to look back at the earlier episodes. I don't remember the sling, but I'm weirdly crappy at remembering stuff like that. Maybe he got hurt during the finale of last season?
As far as the "is he evil" thing, I was mostly thinking of that conversation in the car. Did he let the guy live out of cruelty, or is he just putting on a show to hide that he's still a big ol softy deep down? Nice observation about Yellow Eyes.
And, yeah. Demon Dean is a big improvement (at least when it comes to being watchable) than consistently dour Human Dean.
posted by brundlefly at 12:35 PM on October 19, 2014
As far as the "is he evil" thing, I was mostly thinking of that conversation in the car. Did he let the guy live out of cruelty, or is he just putting on a show to hide that he's still a big ol softy deep down? Nice observation about Yellow Eyes.
And, yeah. Demon Dean is a big improvement (at least when it comes to being watchable) than consistently dour Human Dean.
posted by brundlefly at 12:35 PM on October 19, 2014
Finally got around to watching this episode. Demon Dean is kinda extremely lame so far but Cain killed Abel so I think Dean has to kill Sam to go full evil. Which Crowley is neatly setting him up to do. It's almost like a..... plot. Or something. Someone is being clever again. Hooray.
Too bad he can't kill the terrible actress who plays Hannah. Although she is slightly scary, I guess, in a random nutjob killer kinda way.
posted by fshgrl at 4:27 PM on October 19, 2014
Too bad he can't kill the terrible actress who plays Hannah. Although she is slightly scary, I guess, in a random nutjob killer kinda way.
posted by fshgrl at 4:27 PM on October 19, 2014
Wasn't the right arm that Sam is favoring, the arm which was the focus point for the pain that Sam was going through for the purification ceremony or something like that to close the gates of hell? Also, is he really completely over that? We had the angel in him all last season, reportedly "healing him" and it seemed that the healing never quite was finished. I think one reason for Sam's poor health might be the lingering effect from those injuries.
posted by Atreides at 4:54 PM on October 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 4:54 PM on October 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
As far as the "is he evil" thing, I was mostly thinking of that conversation in the car. Did he let the guy live out of cruelty, or is he just putting on a show to hide that he's still a big ol softy deep down? Nice observation about Yellow Eyes.
Thinking about it a bit more, I think he was telling the truth that he was being cruel, both to Mr. Vengeance and (hypothetically/in the future) to Sam. Plus, by the end of the fight, Mr. Vengeance also was begging to die, so I would think that even if just out of perversity, Demon!Dean was going to let him live at that point. But I also think that Dean just straight up wasn't that interested in killing him, either.
Dean didn't even seem that pissed off at the guy, not even in the middle of the fight. Certainly he didn't seem pissed off and disgusted the way he's been with Premiere!Waitress's ex or the guys at the strip club or Douchebag-the-Wife-Killer, all of whom he went completely apeshit on. He didn't even have that cold-burning hatefulness thing going on that he did toward Premiere!Waitress when he called her a skank. I think he didn't kill Mr. Vengeance partly because he...isn't done with him, maybe? Is planning to tear him down more slowly and precisely, and sees no need to rush it? This fight was just him planting a seed that now he's going to wait and watch blossom?
Maybe he wanted to torment the guy (long-term) by guiding him into becoming a hunter? I mean, that's what Mr. Vengeance is going to become now, I assume, and part of the point of that scene at the end when he's desperately grabbing for books about demons. LOL I guess even Demon!Dean figures that being a hunter is a life worse than death. And I guess Dean sending Mr. Vengeance (and possibly his wife/kids, too? it sounded like he had a family, when he was talking on the phone, mid-torture-session) down the road to being a hunter is actually a sort of parallel between Dean and Yellow Eyes, too?
I'm also curious about Crowley's role in all this, because he seems like he's pulling a lot of the strings. He's the one who set up the meet between Cain and Dean that got Dean the Mark, he's the one who got the knife from the "bottom of the ocean," he's the one who figured the Mark would lead to Dean becoming a demon (a la Cain), he's the one who created this ridiculous BFF/pseudo-Winchester-bros bond with Dean since then, once Dean started turning into a bit of a loose cannon (even for a demon), he's the one who tipped off Sam as to their location, he basically handed Dean over to Sam, and now he's in possession of the jawbone-knife and has gotten Sam to lock himself in with Demon!Dean. I'm wondering if Crowley is right now trying to engineer a story similar to Lucifer/Cain/Abel's, with him playing Lucifer and actually *Sam* playing Cain, and Dean playing Abel.
Cain's story last season was that Lucifer got himself so deep under Abel's skin, and convinced Cain so thoroughly that Abel was doomed, that to save his brother from Lucifer, Cain was willing to take Lucifer's *terrible* deal to "send" Abel to heaven (do not pass go, do not collect $200, I assume, to protect Abel from himself? where IS Able now that Heaven has collapsed, btw?) and doom himself to being a demon forever. Crowley was a crossroads demon, and is always all about the deal-making, even more so than Lucifer, he even brought that up when Dean was crowing about killing that guy instead of his wife. So I'm wondering if Crowley's been working his way under Dean's skin so much in order to get leverage on Sam, thinking that if Sam is convinced that he's truly out of options for saving his brother, and Crowley is then able to offer him even a shitty Cain's-deal-with-Lucifer-esque deal (or god forbid an even worse one, which I guess it would have to be seeing as there's no heaven to send anyone to anymore?), Sam will be desperate enough to take it. I would ordinarily think that's really farfetched, but Crowley managed to convince Dean to let him possess Sam last season -- and probably gained a lot of trust by actually not doing anything bad to him. And he already got Sam to hand over the jawbone knife, which shows a whole lot of trust in him on Sam's part, imo. So I think that Crowley maybe could convince Sam that he's his best option for "helping" Dean or something like that, especially if Sam had already gone through his own bag of tricks (which I assume he's going to go through now that he has his hands on Dean again) and is desperate. Meanwhile Crowley has also kept leverage over Dean by keeping the knife. Hmmm do either of the Winchesters actually have any leverage over Crowley?
LOL in terms of Crowley's endgame, imagine how much Crowley would want to have a Demon!Winchester brothers working *for* him? I assume we're not actually going to see the Demon!Winchester brothers wrecking havoc as Crowley's pets, because that would be just straight up cruel to the fans, but...now I kind of want to see that anyway.
Also, could a plan/manipulation (on Crowley's part) like that be what Dean was talking about when he kept saying people had no idea what was going on? It seemed like such a dumb thing to say because the situation isn't *that* complicated. Seems like his explanation to Mr. Vengeance -- "I'm a demon" -- about covered it? Except if Dean's playing some kind of long con (on Sam) *with* Crowley at this point -- I really doubt that Sam would see that coming, that actually would put him out of his depth despite his demon-and-Dean expertise. Man, that would be so massively screwed up that now I hope that's what's happening.
OK, what my fingers are crossed for now atm: John showing up (where IS he? I don't even remember), Lucifer showing up, possibly Abel showing up, Sam and Dean both being demons at once. I think it would be kind of awesome if Sam and Dean were both demons and John finally showed up then. OMG he would NOT PLAY. LOL the idea cracks me up, it's just so silly. My new OTP: John and his Demon!Sons.
posted by rue72 at 8:37 PM on October 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Thinking about it a bit more, I think he was telling the truth that he was being cruel, both to Mr. Vengeance and (hypothetically/in the future) to Sam. Plus, by the end of the fight, Mr. Vengeance also was begging to die, so I would think that even if just out of perversity, Demon!Dean was going to let him live at that point. But I also think that Dean just straight up wasn't that interested in killing him, either.
Dean didn't even seem that pissed off at the guy, not even in the middle of the fight. Certainly he didn't seem pissed off and disgusted the way he's been with Premiere!Waitress's ex or the guys at the strip club or Douchebag-the-Wife-Killer, all of whom he went completely apeshit on. He didn't even have that cold-burning hatefulness thing going on that he did toward Premiere!Waitress when he called her a skank. I think he didn't kill Mr. Vengeance partly because he...isn't done with him, maybe? Is planning to tear him down more slowly and precisely, and sees no need to rush it? This fight was just him planting a seed that now he's going to wait and watch blossom?
Maybe he wanted to torment the guy (long-term) by guiding him into becoming a hunter? I mean, that's what Mr. Vengeance is going to become now, I assume, and part of the point of that scene at the end when he's desperately grabbing for books about demons. LOL I guess even Demon!Dean figures that being a hunter is a life worse than death. And I guess Dean sending Mr. Vengeance (and possibly his wife/kids, too? it sounded like he had a family, when he was talking on the phone, mid-torture-session) down the road to being a hunter is actually a sort of parallel between Dean and Yellow Eyes, too?
I'm also curious about Crowley's role in all this, because he seems like he's pulling a lot of the strings. He's the one who set up the meet between Cain and Dean that got Dean the Mark, he's the one who got the knife from the "bottom of the ocean," he's the one who figured the Mark would lead to Dean becoming a demon (a la Cain), he's the one who created this ridiculous BFF/pseudo-Winchester-bros bond with Dean since then, once Dean started turning into a bit of a loose cannon (even for a demon), he's the one who tipped off Sam as to their location, he basically handed Dean over to Sam, and now he's in possession of the jawbone-knife and has gotten Sam to lock himself in with Demon!Dean. I'm wondering if Crowley is right now trying to engineer a story similar to Lucifer/Cain/Abel's, with him playing Lucifer and actually *Sam* playing Cain, and Dean playing Abel.
Cain's story last season was that Lucifer got himself so deep under Abel's skin, and convinced Cain so thoroughly that Abel was doomed, that to save his brother from Lucifer, Cain was willing to take Lucifer's *terrible* deal to "send" Abel to heaven (do not pass go, do not collect $200, I assume, to protect Abel from himself? where IS Able now that Heaven has collapsed, btw?) and doom himself to being a demon forever. Crowley was a crossroads demon, and is always all about the deal-making, even more so than Lucifer, he even brought that up when Dean was crowing about killing that guy instead of his wife. So I'm wondering if Crowley's been working his way under Dean's skin so much in order to get leverage on Sam, thinking that if Sam is convinced that he's truly out of options for saving his brother, and Crowley is then able to offer him even a shitty Cain's-deal-with-Lucifer-esque deal (or god forbid an even worse one, which I guess it would have to be seeing as there's no heaven to send anyone to anymore?), Sam will be desperate enough to take it. I would ordinarily think that's really farfetched, but Crowley managed to convince Dean to let him possess Sam last season -- and probably gained a lot of trust by actually not doing anything bad to him. And he already got Sam to hand over the jawbone knife, which shows a whole lot of trust in him on Sam's part, imo. So I think that Crowley maybe could convince Sam that he's his best option for "helping" Dean or something like that, especially if Sam had already gone through his own bag of tricks (which I assume he's going to go through now that he has his hands on Dean again) and is desperate. Meanwhile Crowley has also kept leverage over Dean by keeping the knife. Hmmm do either of the Winchesters actually have any leverage over Crowley?
LOL in terms of Crowley's endgame, imagine how much Crowley would want to have a Demon!Winchester brothers working *for* him? I assume we're not actually going to see the Demon!Winchester brothers wrecking havoc as Crowley's pets, because that would be just straight up cruel to the fans, but...now I kind of want to see that anyway.
Also, could a plan/manipulation (on Crowley's part) like that be what Dean was talking about when he kept saying people had no idea what was going on? It seemed like such a dumb thing to say because the situation isn't *that* complicated. Seems like his explanation to Mr. Vengeance -- "I'm a demon" -- about covered it? Except if Dean's playing some kind of long con (on Sam) *with* Crowley at this point -- I really doubt that Sam would see that coming, that actually would put him out of his depth despite his demon-and-Dean expertise. Man, that would be so massively screwed up that now I hope that's what's happening.
OK, what my fingers are crossed for now atm: John showing up (where IS he? I don't even remember), Lucifer showing up, possibly Abel showing up, Sam and Dean both being demons at once. I think it would be kind of awesome if Sam and Dean were both demons and John finally showed up then. OMG he would NOT PLAY. LOL the idea cracks me up, it's just so silly. My new OTP: John and his Demon!Sons.
posted by rue72 at 8:37 PM on October 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I think John is still in the afterlife somewhere? Hell? I remember that at the end of Season two Yellow Eyes opens up the gate to hell, which lets out John. He helps the brothers kill Yellow Eyes and then he just sort of vanishes in a flash of white light. Was that his pass into Heaven? Dunno. I guess he's pushing up the daisies in some way or another.
posted by brundlefly at 5:41 PM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by brundlefly at 5:41 PM on October 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sam's arm: http://youtu.be/5jVAC458j6g
(Rough housing. I swear the best thing about the show these days is the stories from behind the scenes.)
posted by [insert clever name here] at 7:15 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
(Rough housing. I swear the best thing about the show these days is the stories from behind the scenes.)
posted by [insert clever name here] at 7:15 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Quotes
Dean: [to Cole Trenton] What did you think was gonna happen here, huh? You just stroll up here and say, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," and I'd just fold?
Hannah: [looking at a casserole called Three Bean Surprise] I understand the three beans, but... what's the surprise?
Crowley: After her husband, Lester, discovered Mindy's liaison amoureuse, heated words were exchanged. In the end, Mindy wanted a divorce... And 50% of everything. But Lester --
Dean: Lester would rather give up his soul than half his junk.
Crowley: We live in a very materialistic world.
Dean: Listen -- and this is murder 101 -- when you hire someone to kill your wife, you don't want to be around when the hit goes down. It's called an alibi.
Lester Morris: Yeah, I know what an alibi is. I watch "Franklin & Bash".
Dean: Your lady in there... she's a North Dakota 8. You're a 4 1/2, Max. Now, I don't blame her for stepping out -- especially if she found you were messing around first.
Lester Morris: [chuckling nervously] No. Oh, no. I-I wasn't... Uh -- How do you know?
Dean: Well, you just got that, uh, pervy, "I'd do anything to nail my secretary" look.
Crowley: You killed the client?
Dean: Does it matter? He was a douche. Now he's a dead douche.
Crowley: Of course it matters! The deal was one dead wife for one soul. The wife's not dead, I don't get the soul. It's math.
Dean: I ain't your friggin' bestie, and I ain't taking orders from you. When I need to kill, I'll call. Until then, stay out of my way.
Crowley: Fine. It's over. What can I say? Crazy ones; well, they're good for a fling, but they're not relationship material.
Crowley: So... How you been feeling? On edge? Pent-up? Unfulfilled?
Dean: You sound like a Viagra commercial. You know that, right?
Sam: [in the Impala] This thing is filthy.
Dean: It's just a car, Sam.
Sam: "It's just a... car". Wow. You really have gone dark.
Sam: Look, I'm not a psycho. And I'm not lying.
Cole Trenton: Well, you see, that's exactly what a psycho liar would say, so... see my dilemma?
Dean Winchester: Two shots here. [indicates Crowley with a nod] He'll have something fancy, with your tiniest umbrella.
Hannah: I want to stay and help. Is that wrong?
Castiel: No. It's just... very human.
Hannah: ...
Castiel: It's a compliment.
Crowley: Kids. Am I right? In my day, we respected our elders. Of course, back then, anyone over 30 was ancient. Now 40-year-olds are still living with mommy, lying on OkCupid, and taking pictures of their food.
Sam: This doesn't make us square. If I see you again...
Crowley: Oh stop it Samantha, nobody likes a tease.
Frankie: One time I dreamed that my snot was a rocket and it shot into space and knocked down the stars to make room for more rockets!
Castiel: That sounds like some very special snot.
Castiel: [to Hannah] What are you doing?
Metatron: Ugh. You know perfectly well what she's doing, Ass-tiel.
Trivia
The song played on the piano by Dean is Hey Jude from The Beatles. This is the song his mom used to sing to him as a lullaby.
Crowley tells Dean, "I know that you want to keep the party going and have fun, fun, fun til daddy takes the black eyes away." He is paraphrasing The Beach Boys 1964 surf classic, "Fun, Fun, Fun".
The face of young Dean Winchester in the flashback scene was achieved using CGI.
The name on the card that Sam gives to the bouncer, Lemmy Kilmister, is the name of the lead singer of Motörhead.
Demon Dean plays the piano; while Jensen Ackles can play piano in real life, Dean has never demonstrated any particular musical skill thus far in the series, despite his love of music.
The drink Crowley has while at the bar with Dean contains a miniature Devil's pitchfork (as he is Lucifer's replacement as King of Hell).
The strip club in the opening scene is called Angelz.
The actor who plays vengeful former Marine "Cole", Travis Aaron Wade, is actually a former Marine.
Despite the fact that Cole says he was 13 on the night then 24-year-old Dean killed his father in 2003, which would have put his date of birth in 1990, the actor who plays Cole, Travis Aaron Wade, was born in 1975 and is actually three years older than Jensen Ackles.
The title of this episode is a reference to the Falls over which Sherlock Holmes disappears in the the Arthur Conan Doyle story "The Final Problem". Over time, in storytelling, the word has come to be associated with a dramatic shift in the storylines of the characters involved. For example the season 2 finale of the BBC's Sherlock, which is based on the "The Final Problem", is called "The Reichenbach Fall" and its plot features Sherlock faking his own death, leading to significant change in Watson's life.
When he is giving Cole the beat down, Dean asks, "Well what did you think was gonna happen? You just stroll up here and say 'My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die,' and I'd just roll over?" He is quoting from The Princess Bride.
At the end of this episode when Demon Dean is captured by Sam, as well as the next while Sam is administering the blood cure and when Castiel captures Demon Dean, he growls, grunts, and in some cases roars. While the sounds are of course human, if you listen carefully you can hear actual animalistic growls, panting and roaring layered into Jensen's human sounds. This adds a level of subtle dimension to Demon Dean as he isn't a human that is possessed by a demon, but rather has a soul that has been twisted and corrupted.
In "Road Trip" (ep. 9.10), Dean said to Crowley, "This don't make us square. I see you again" to which Crowley responds, "I'm dead. Yes, I know. I love you too." In this episode, when Sam says the exact same thing to Crowley, Crowley responds "Oh, stop it, Samantha. No one likes a tease."
When Lester Morris is telling Dean he knows what an alibi is he watches Franklin & Bash. Franklin & Bash was a legal drama televised on TNT network. TNT network shows the Supernatural reruns.
posted by orange swan at 11:25 AM on November 23, 2021
Dean: [to Cole Trenton] What did you think was gonna happen here, huh? You just stroll up here and say, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," and I'd just fold?
Hannah: [looking at a casserole called Three Bean Surprise] I understand the three beans, but... what's the surprise?
Crowley: After her husband, Lester, discovered Mindy's liaison amoureuse, heated words were exchanged. In the end, Mindy wanted a divorce... And 50% of everything. But Lester --
Dean: Lester would rather give up his soul than half his junk.
Crowley: We live in a very materialistic world.
Dean: Listen -- and this is murder 101 -- when you hire someone to kill your wife, you don't want to be around when the hit goes down. It's called an alibi.
Lester Morris: Yeah, I know what an alibi is. I watch "Franklin & Bash".
Dean: Your lady in there... she's a North Dakota 8. You're a 4 1/2, Max. Now, I don't blame her for stepping out -- especially if she found you were messing around first.
Lester Morris: [chuckling nervously] No. Oh, no. I-I wasn't... Uh -- How do you know?
Dean: Well, you just got that, uh, pervy, "I'd do anything to nail my secretary" look.
Crowley: You killed the client?
Dean: Does it matter? He was a douche. Now he's a dead douche.
Crowley: Of course it matters! The deal was one dead wife for one soul. The wife's not dead, I don't get the soul. It's math.
Dean: I ain't your friggin' bestie, and I ain't taking orders from you. When I need to kill, I'll call. Until then, stay out of my way.
Crowley: Fine. It's over. What can I say? Crazy ones; well, they're good for a fling, but they're not relationship material.
Crowley: So... How you been feeling? On edge? Pent-up? Unfulfilled?
Dean: You sound like a Viagra commercial. You know that, right?
Sam: [in the Impala] This thing is filthy.
Dean: It's just a car, Sam.
Sam: "It's just a... car". Wow. You really have gone dark.
Sam: Look, I'm not a psycho. And I'm not lying.
Cole Trenton: Well, you see, that's exactly what a psycho liar would say, so... see my dilemma?
Dean Winchester: Two shots here. [indicates Crowley with a nod] He'll have something fancy, with your tiniest umbrella.
Hannah: I want to stay and help. Is that wrong?
Castiel: No. It's just... very human.
Hannah: ...
Castiel: It's a compliment.
Crowley: Kids. Am I right? In my day, we respected our elders. Of course, back then, anyone over 30 was ancient. Now 40-year-olds are still living with mommy, lying on OkCupid, and taking pictures of their food.
Sam: This doesn't make us square. If I see you again...
Crowley: Oh stop it Samantha, nobody likes a tease.
Frankie: One time I dreamed that my snot was a rocket and it shot into space and knocked down the stars to make room for more rockets!
Castiel: That sounds like some very special snot.
Castiel: [to Hannah] What are you doing?
Metatron: Ugh. You know perfectly well what she's doing, Ass-tiel.
Trivia
The song played on the piano by Dean is Hey Jude from The Beatles. This is the song his mom used to sing to him as a lullaby.
Crowley tells Dean, "I know that you want to keep the party going and have fun, fun, fun til daddy takes the black eyes away." He is paraphrasing The Beach Boys 1964 surf classic, "Fun, Fun, Fun".
The face of young Dean Winchester in the flashback scene was achieved using CGI.
The name on the card that Sam gives to the bouncer, Lemmy Kilmister, is the name of the lead singer of Motörhead.
Demon Dean plays the piano; while Jensen Ackles can play piano in real life, Dean has never demonstrated any particular musical skill thus far in the series, despite his love of music.
The drink Crowley has while at the bar with Dean contains a miniature Devil's pitchfork (as he is Lucifer's replacement as King of Hell).
The strip club in the opening scene is called Angelz.
The actor who plays vengeful former Marine "Cole", Travis Aaron Wade, is actually a former Marine.
Despite the fact that Cole says he was 13 on the night then 24-year-old Dean killed his father in 2003, which would have put his date of birth in 1990, the actor who plays Cole, Travis Aaron Wade, was born in 1975 and is actually three years older than Jensen Ackles.
The title of this episode is a reference to the Falls over which Sherlock Holmes disappears in the the Arthur Conan Doyle story "The Final Problem". Over time, in storytelling, the word has come to be associated with a dramatic shift in the storylines of the characters involved. For example the season 2 finale of the BBC's Sherlock, which is based on the "The Final Problem", is called "The Reichenbach Fall" and its plot features Sherlock faking his own death, leading to significant change in Watson's life.
When he is giving Cole the beat down, Dean asks, "Well what did you think was gonna happen? You just stroll up here and say 'My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die,' and I'd just roll over?" He is quoting from The Princess Bride.
At the end of this episode when Demon Dean is captured by Sam, as well as the next while Sam is administering the blood cure and when Castiel captures Demon Dean, he growls, grunts, and in some cases roars. While the sounds are of course human, if you listen carefully you can hear actual animalistic growls, panting and roaring layered into Jensen's human sounds. This adds a level of subtle dimension to Demon Dean as he isn't a human that is possessed by a demon, but rather has a soul that has been twisted and corrupted.
In "Road Trip" (ep. 9.10), Dean said to Crowley, "This don't make us square. I see you again" to which Crowley responds, "I'm dead. Yes, I know. I love you too." In this episode, when Sam says the exact same thing to Crowley, Crowley responds "Oh, stop it, Samantha. No one likes a tease."
When Lester Morris is telling Dean he knows what an alibi is he watches Franklin & Bash. Franklin & Bash was a legal drama televised on TNT network. TNT network shows the Supernatural reruns.
posted by orange swan at 11:25 AM on November 23, 2021
Did anyone else get a definite "Jerry Lundegaard from Fargo" vibe from Lester? I can't say I had any sympathy for him when Dean stabbed him seconds after he makes the argument that it's "different" when men cheat and that men aren't built for monogamy because of "science".
I have to give Jensen Ackles credit for his acting as Demon Dean. I love Dean despite his many flaws and foibles; the demon version of him is repellant. Ackles stripped away all that was lovable and admirable about Dean while still making Demon Dean recognizably a twisted version of Dean. And Demon Dean has a coding system to rate women's attractiveness, because of course he does. A Dakota 8 is, I presume, not equivalent to a California or New York 8.
Casting really should have gone with a younger actor for the role of Cole than one who would have been 38/39 at the time this episode was made when his character was supposed to be 24. Dean called him a "kid" and Cole did not look in the least like a kid.
Loved the moment when Hannah slammed Metatron's head against the bars of his cell after he told her she was "desperate to be dominated".
posted by orange swan at 11:46 AM on November 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have to give Jensen Ackles credit for his acting as Demon Dean. I love Dean despite his many flaws and foibles; the demon version of him is repellant. Ackles stripped away all that was lovable and admirable about Dean while still making Demon Dean recognizably a twisted version of Dean. And Demon Dean has a coding system to rate women's attractiveness, because of course he does. A Dakota 8 is, I presume, not equivalent to a California or New York 8.
Casting really should have gone with a younger actor for the role of Cole than one who would have been 38/39 at the time this episode was made when his character was supposed to be 24. Dean called him a "kid" and Cole did not look in the least like a kid.
Loved the moment when Hannah slammed Metatron's head against the bars of his cell after he told her she was "desperate to be dominated".
posted by orange swan at 11:46 AM on November 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Everything else with Cole aside, I can normally kind of look past wonky age casting but he is visibly not a person born in 1990. The only thing I could figure is they wanted a guy who looked like he could be married with a kid and also have tons of nominally badass experience to pose a realistic threat to Dean and Sam, but also have him be young enough to be a child when Dean killed his father, and what they settled on is just very weird and distracting.
I don't think I have the brain power to explain this right now but it's striking how Cole and Dean are both going so hard on obnoxious masculinity, but in mostly different ways.
They really could have gone a lot farther on Dean going darkside, like his baseline non-dark side is still pretty dark. That said, him growling ominously that Sam has no idea how dark he’s gone is delightful coming one scene after the picture of him and Crowley doing karaoke in cowboy hats.
posted by jameaterblues at 6:45 PM on November 23, 2021
I don't think I have the brain power to explain this right now but it's striking how Cole and Dean are both going so hard on obnoxious masculinity, but in mostly different ways.
They really could have gone a lot farther on Dean going darkside, like his baseline non-dark side is still pretty dark. That said, him growling ominously that Sam has no idea how dark he’s gone is delightful coming one scene after the picture of him and Crowley doing karaoke in cowboy hats.
posted by jameaterblues at 6:45 PM on November 23, 2021
Twenty-four is old enough to be married and have a child. I think it would have worked much better to have a young man in the role, someone who had served overseas and was well trained in physical combat but was also too young, too messed up from both his father's traumatic death and his military service, and too uninformed about the supernatural aspects of the world he lives in to have any clear idea of what he was doing. It would have made him a much more sympathetic character. Cole is referred to by other characters as a kid and boy, and it's just weird that we're supposed to buy into that when the actor who plays him is pushing 40.
posted by orange swan at 2:42 PM on December 4, 2021
posted by orange swan at 2:42 PM on December 4, 2021
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Dean was fantastically creepy in this episode. But Sam managing to capture him with just a little splash of Holy Water to distract him from the Demon Cuffs seemed pretty ridiculous, considering how useless Sam has been, with his mysterious broken arm and recent torture session and all.
posted by obloquy at 12:06 PM on October 16, 2014