About: Supernatural "The Man Who Would Be King"

"You know the difference between you and me? I know what I am. What are you Castiel? What are you willing to do?"

Crowley really said it all right there. And it's a good question, one that I'm not sure Castiel is ready to answer. He leads us through his side of the story beautifully though; starting with some of his "childhood" memories, leading us to the moment he took possession of his vessel and recalling the time "two boys, an old drunk and a fallen angel" stopped Armageddon. All of these moments describe the Cas we know. The angel who sees the difference between right and wrong and chose free will when he saw wrong being done in the name of God. This is the Cas we've known and loved. It's when this new-found confidence turned to arrogance that Castiel began to lose his way. 

It's not that I disagree with his decision to stop Raphael from re-starting the Apocalypse. In fact, it's right in line with the Cas we know. Raphael was calling the shots and planned to play it off as God's will knowing that the other angels would just follow his lead. It's clear that Cas couldn't stand idly by knowing what he knew. And this is where I begin to feel bad for him. Clearly he's wasn't strong enough to fight Raphael on his own, and the other angels didn't seem to grasp the concept of choice. I felt worse when he realized  he couldn't ask Dean to sacrifice any more than he already had. And he clearly couldn't go to Sam for help. He was on his own.

Speaking of Sam, I have a few questions. How is it that Castiel raised Sam from perdition without his soul? I had been wondering before this episode whether Castiel purposely left Sam's soul behind. I don't think that is the case but then how did he overlook something like that? Probably that pesky arrogance again. But  why would Castiel not go to Dean and let him know that Sam was alive? He had to know how heavily it was weighing on Dean's heart to think that his brother was still suffering in Hell. Sure, Cas knew that something was off about Sam but it didn't bother him enough to really investigate. He was more preoccupied with Raphael and the Apocalypse: Part 2. And maybe he had every right to be? That's the thing about this episode. It's easy to point out all the bad choices that Castiel made but it's hard to deny the seemingly good intentions behind those choices.

These good intentions are what paved the road to Crowley. Crowley obviously knew that Castiel was in a tight spot with no one to turn to. In other words, he was desperate. And a desperate man, or angel in this case, can be easily swayed with a bit of logic and heavy dose of swagger. And Crowley laid it on thick. Castiel really didn't stand a chance against Crowley's persuasion. Heck, I found myself thinking that he made a pretty good argument. I mean, who would you rather have running Hell? Lucifer? Or Crowley "the devil you know"? And offering Castiel a little advance on the souls was just the cherry on top. How could he refuse? Well, as it turns out making deals with devils is not a good idea. Imagine that...

But what's worse than the deal itself is the secrecy. Sam and Dean have already lost so much and secrecy has tested their relationship more than once. Castiel was there, he should know what it looks like. So how is he still so convinced that what he's doing is right? As usual, Dean said it best when he confronted Castiel:

Castiel: "You don't understand, it's complicated."

Dean: "No, actually it's not. And you know that. Why else would you keep this whole thing a secret unless you knew it was wrong? When crap like this comes around, we deal with it like we always do. What we don't do, is we don't go out an make another deal with the devil!"

Castiel: "It sounds so simple when you say it like that. Where were you when I needed to hear it?"

Dean: "I was there. Where were you?"

This whole conversation was hauntingly reminiscent of season four conversations between Sam and Dean. And the two of them are only now getting back to a good place. And now Dean is confronted with this same betrayal and secrecy from a man he defended against his better judgment. Sure, Sam and Bobby feel hurt and betrayed as well, but not on the same level that Dean felt it. Castiel even admitted that he and Dean "share a profound bond". It may have been a punchline at the time but that doesn't make it any less true. Castiel literally raised Dean from the dead and has saved him more times than I can count. But more than that, he was there when Dean thought he had lost Sam forever. And when Sam came back from Hell incomplete Castiel's presence was a comfort and a firm foundation for Dean. (Granted, he was also the cause of the problem in the first place.) 

But this shattered trust didn't stop Dean from offering Castiel a second chance. This was probably the most heartbreaking moment of the episode. Dean finally sees the web of lies that Castiel has weaved throughout the past months and he's still willing to put it behind them. "Damn it Cas, we can fix this!" But Castiel can't see beyond his clouded judgment; "Dean it's not broken". How did Castiel convince himself that he was making these choices to protect Sam and Dean? If anything, leaving them in the dark is leaving them vulnerable. He has to know that Crowley isn't planning to hold up his end of the deal. At least, that's what I'd guess. And he also happens to hate the Winchesters so when the time comes for Crowley to turn the tables, who's going to die first?

When Castiel came to confront Dean there was a mix of emotions. It's obvious that Castiel has made poor choices but I found myself hoping that he could explain them to Dean the way he explained them to us. Maybe then Dean would understand Castiel's intentions. Maybe then he would understand that Castiel never set out to hurt him, but to protect him.  And maybe then Dean would be able to reason with him and show him the way like he's done so many times before. But that is not what happened. Dean did open up to Cas in a very real way. He called him family; he called him a brother which is saying a lot because we know just how much he loves Sam. And then, Cas shut down. I'm not sure why it happened. He could have easily returned the sentiment. We know he feels the same way about Dean but for whatever reason he chose to challenge him instead.

"You're just a man. I'm an angel."

Talk about heat breaking. Just a man? As the words left his mouth I thought I saw a little regret in his eyes. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Either way Dean is anything but just a man to Castiel. He has taught Castiel about freedom and choice. He has taught him what it means to really believe in your decisions and to live with purpose. Castiel has sacrificed everything for these new found values and has sacrificed everything for Dean and Sam. They were harsh words and I hope Castiel finds a way to take them back.

I am very curious, as I'm sure you all are, about the season finale. For the first time Sam and Dean will be hunting a monster I don't want them to kill. And I sincerely hope they don't have to. I have been wondering for a while now if we might see God this season. I still think it's entirely possible. The entire episode was a prayer for guidance to a God that Castiel still very much believes in. So it doesn's seem out of the question that his prayer would be answered. I also wonder what will happen if Crowley is killed. I suppose a new king of Hell will be appointed. Is it strange to say that I would miss him if he was killed? If we have to have a king of Hell, I'd like it to be Crowley. There is something so charming about him. So what do you guys think about Cas going darkside? Any thought about the finale? I'd love to hear them!

I had a few other random observations and quotes that I wanted to mention...

*First of all, I wanted to send some serious kudos to Ben Edlund for this script. He is just amazing. It really goes without saying.

*I loved the decision for Castiel to break the fourth wall as if he wanted the chance to explain himself to us. I thought it was very effective and it was a much needed explanation.

*I really liked the still frames that were used throughout the episode. Castiel exploding was especially interesting. Not typical Supernatural fashion, but I think it worked.

*I was shocked to see that Castiel had the ability to spy on Sam, Dean and Bobby undetected. I wonder how often he's done that. Clearly he's not good at keeping his spying a secret. It took no time at all for Dean to realize where Castiel picked up the Superman reference.

*So Crowley was the one that decided to raise Samuel when Castiel refused to involve Dean. So does that mean that Samuel was in Hell when all this time we thought he was in Heaven?

*Ellsworth, Bobby's demon counterpart, was a much needed laugh. He had the hat, the flannel and even two Sam and Dean-esque partners. It's kind of a shame Castiel killed him. It would have been interesting to learn more about him.

There were a few other funny moments worth mentioning.

*Cas: You're joking.
Raphael: Do I look like I'm joking?
Castiel: You never look like you're joking.

*Castiel: "Freedom is a length of rope. God wants you to hang yourself with it." (This is more dark humor than ha ha funny, but still worth mentioning)

*Crowley: "I wanted to help you, help me, help ourselves."
Castiel: "Speak plain."

*Castiel: "I'm an angel, you ass."

*Crowley: "You've got what they call sex appeal."
Castiel: "Thank you. Get to the point."

Supernatural Season 6 Speculation

We're winding down to the end of season 6 and my mind is reeling. There are still so many things I'm confused about and some loose ends that need tightening. So I thought I'd take a minute to lay it all out there. Here is what I know, what I think I know (may be one in the same) and what I have no freaking clue about! Feel free to speculate right along with me. But please keep the comment section spoiler-free. I have been avoiding spoilers like the plague and I really want these last few episodes to remain a mystery!

This season is all about souls, so let's start with that motherload-of-a-topic first.  

Here's what we know about souls:

• Souls = Power = Fuel for the war machine
• Everybody wants them; Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.
• Sam lost his soul and Death was able to get it back inside him. 
• At the beginning of season 6, at least one Angel (Balthazar) began exchanging Heaven's weapons for ownership of their soul. We were told that this is unusual angel behavior.

Here's what I think we know:

• Castiel is doing very bad things to collect these souls; putting innocent people in danger. Perhaps he learned a little something from Balthazar?
• It doesn't seem to matter what "team" the soul's owner is on. Even monster's souls can be collected by Angels and used as fuel.

Here's what we don't know:

• How is this power/fuel extracted from the soul's owner? Can it be done without their knowledge?
• Does the person/monster/whoever generally die when their soul is collected? We saw Cas touch Bobby's soul for strength and he warned Bobby just how dangerous even that would be.
• Can soul's be taken if the person/monster/whatever is dead already? Or does their soul automatically go to whatever "team" they were on? i.e. When good, human, non-demon, non-monster's die, does their soul automatically go to Heaven?

Who pulled Sam up from Hell and Samuel down from Heaven?

Here's what we know:

• Angels have the power to retrieve someone from Hell so I would assume the same goes for Heaven. 
• Castiel and Crowley are working together (more on that later) and Crowley is King of Hell so there's some obvious power that goes along with that. 

Here's what I think I know:

• Samuel was in Heaven, right? What kind of a world is it where someone like Sam goes to Hell while someone like Samuel is living it up in Heaven?!
• Samuel was willing to work for Crowley because he promised to bring Mary back to life. 
• Whoever brought Sam back from Hell left a piece behind.
• Sam also came back without a hand print like the one Dean had which leads me to believe it was Crowley who released him.

Here's what we don't know:

• Did Samuel know who brought him back from Heaven? If so, was he given a choice or just yanked back down to Earth?
• Whoever saved Sam from Hell brought him back without a crucial piece, perhaps on purpose? Did Crowley intend to keep Sam's soul for his own war machine? Was Cas in on that decision?

 

Castiel and Crowley are working together.

Here's what we know:

• That they are, in fact, working together. 
• That it's been going on for a while. "How many times am I going to have to clean up your messes?"
• Sam and Dean are not going to be happy about this, especially Dean. 
• Crowley wants Castiel to kill Sam and Dean. 

Here's what I think I know:

• Castiel is not the angel we once knew. Something has changed him. Maybe the war? Maybe this partnership?
• Crowley is still a bad guy; There has been no change of heart. He is clearly getting something out of this partnership. 
• Castiel can't kill Sam and Dean and he won't let Crowley do it either. No matter how lost Castiel seems to be, Sam and Dean are his favorite "hairless apes".  Wishful thinking? Maybe.

Here's what we don't know:

• What is the arrangement between these two. They certainly aren't fighting for the same team and I doubt that they can share the souls they collect, so there must be some way that this arrangement is benefiting them both equally.
• How long has this been going on? Thinking back through the season I can't find a difinitive moment where I think Castiel began to lie. Did he know he wasn't killing Crowley when he burned what we thought was Crowley's bones? Did their partnership start even before that?
• Why would Castiel and Crowley poke the beast (Eve) by harvesting the souls of her "children"? Don't they have enough enemies as it is?
• What would killing Sam and Dean accomplish? They would be up against and angel and the King of Hell. I would think they'd be a little outnumbered. 
• If all goes well and Cas finds his way out of this, will the Winchesters ever be able to put this betrayal behind them?

The Mother of All

Here's what we know:

• Eve is the mother of all monsters and until recently resided in Purgatory.
• She is burned by the ashes of a Phoenix. 
• She is concerned with natural order and only began her "beta testing" after her children were threatened by Crowley and possibly probably Castiel.
• She's really not all that scary or intimidating. (I guess that's more of a personal fact)

Here's what I think I know:

• She's not dead. The lore said the ashes would burn the mother, they said nothing about killing her. That was entirely too easy of a kill and leads me to believe it was a quick way to change her vessel. (The actress playing Eve was just not very good. )
• I have a feeling she'll be back in the mix. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I think it depends on the new actress they choose to play her. Samantha Smith was awesome in this last episode and took the overall under-developed character to a new level.

Here's what we don't know:

• We don't know for sure that Eve will be back, but if she does make another appearance, what will her role be? Will it be this season or will she be next season's big bad?

Great Wall of Sam

Here's what we know:

• Sam's wall has already begun to crack and he seems to be remembering more and more from his soulless year. 
• Sam could die if the wall crumbles completely.

Here's what I think I know:

• Something is going to happen to the Great Wall of Sam before the season is over. I don't know if it will fall down for good, or if he'll experience another crack like he had in "Unforgiven". Again, this storyline could very well extend into season 7.
• I've been thinking that maybe Sam will recall something about Cas and Crowley's partnership? Of course this is pure speculation. Castiel was so opposed to the idea of Sam getting his soul back. At the time, I thought it was out of pure concern for his health and safety, but now I'm not so sure that was his only motivation. Sam also seemed to recall something about Castiel at the end of "Mommy Dearest" but he never really voiced it. I'll be interested to see what that was.

Here's what we don't know:

• If Sam's wall does crumble, will he able to withstand whatever flood of memories he has? 
• Did Sam have a role in the Castiel and Crowley partnership while he was soulless? If so, will that memory come back to him before the end of the season?
• Will we see Death again? He seems so closely tied to this storyline, I'd think if something happened to Sam, Dean would summon Death immediately.

Thanks for letting me organize my thoughts! There really is a LOT going on this season and sometimes it's nice to take a step back and look at the big picture. Now I want to hear what you think. Did I miss any plot points of importance? Are there any holes in my theories? Feel free to point them out in a spoiler-free fashion! Can you tell that I really like the element of surprise? 

About: Supernatural "Mommy Dearest"

Everything is starting to come together. All the side plots are intermingling and stacking up against the Winchesters. It's all about the souls. I think we had that figured out by now, but it was nice to have it confirmed once and for all. Angels want souls for power, especially in their civil war. Demons want souls for power over angels and Purgatory. Big mama wanted souls for power over angels and to put Hell and Crowley back in their places. So we've got ourselves quite the circle of power hungry destruction. What doesn't quite add up for me is how this equation resulted in Crowley and Cas working together. What kind of an arrangement could they possibly have that would benefit both of them? Or does Cas have some power over Crowley that we don't know about? He did call Crowley in to "clean up his mess" for him, and it wasn't the first time.

I should mention that I was ecstatic to see Crowley again. He is of course, an all around terrible person. Still I can't help but enjoy his character. Mark Sheppard has amazing chemistry with the cast and I was so upset to see him killed off when his character still had so much potential as an enemy. But he's back and more interesting than ever. The obvious question arises though, how is he not dead? We saw Cas burn his bones, right? I wonder if it works like salting and burning a ghost's bones; if you miss a hand or a lock of hair it doesn't work. Perhaps Cas kept back a small bone or two to use as leverage and now he has Crowley working for him? That just seems so un-Cas-like. But he has definitely not been himself lately. He's so cold and calculated, talking about things like the "greater good". I shudder to think what he did in that interrogation room that left him with blood soaked hands. And for how quickly he got the information he needed I'd say he's been practicing. It wasn't too long ago that he came to Dean for his interrogation expertise against Alistair. But it looks like he's learned a thing or two since then.

As quickly as she came into our lives, she's gone. Mommy dearest certainly didn't make it very long. I can't say I'm all that disappointed to see her go. As far as Big Bad's go she wasn't all that interesting. But she also wasn't all that developed. I think there was potential there, but I don't think the writers ever intended for her to stick around very long. She acted as a more of a catalyst to the story than anything else. But for how powerful she was, it was a little too simple to take her down. Sure, the boys had to travel back to Frontierland to get the ashes of a phoenix but they weren't even sure that would work. In my opinion, they marched in there half-cocked and got lucky. In the past, when they have gone up against something as powerful as Mommy Dearest they have tried and failed and narrowly escaped at least once before succeeding. There is always an unforeseen trick up the enemy's sleeve, but not in this case. Even if they weren't planning to keep the Mother of All around for long, it would have been nice to have one of those narrow escape encounters before the big kill. Am I the only one who felt that way?

Even though Eve's dead, we've potentially got a bunch of Jefferson Starship's running around undetectable to other hunters. I wonder if there are other creature hybrids out there from her earlier "beta testing"? I guess we'll find out soon enough. Her plan wasn't a bad one, though. It's not like there's a hunter's newsletter to spread the word about a new undetectable monster. It would eventually spread through word of mouth, but not before many more people had been turned. Hopefully, killing her has nipped that plan in the bud. But again, we'll have to wait and see.

If you haven't seen the promo for next week feel free to skip this paragraph but I just have to ask a question. From the looks of it, Cas doesn't like what he's become and we see him calling out to God for help. Do you think God will answer him? For a while now we've been hearing that God is gone or that he just doesn't care but he saved Cas once before, didn't he? So I think he's still there somewhere and he still cares. I just wonder if he'll show himself to stop Castiel from doing what he's doing? Any thoughts on that?

There are of course a few other things I'd like to mention.

*When did Sam get an iPad?

*I loved that moment in the car with Joe and Ryan in the back seat and Dean and Sam in the front seat. There was something unspoken and touching about all that brotherly love. (Granted Ryan turned out to be a Jefferson Starship) It made me happy that Sam and Dean are in such a stable place in their relationship.

*I found it interesting that Sam and Bobby were quick to doubt Cas while Dean defended him. Maybe it's the "special bond" that they share? Either way, it's going to be hard to see that trust broken.

And now on to the funny stuff.

*Dean: "Why do I always gotta make the call, huh? It's not like Cas lives in my ass, the dude's busy.
Castiel appears
Dean: "Cas, get out my ass!"
Cas: "I was never in your..."

*Dean "Now it just looks like you're pooping"

*Dean: "Well that's great, because without your power you're basically just a baby in a trench coat"

*Cas: "I have a, uh, painful burning sensation"

*Cas: "Pardon me for highlighting their crippling and dangerous empathetic response with 'sarcasm'" Love those quotey fingers.

*Eve: "And you, wondering why so flacid?"

About: Supernatural "Frontierland"

Every season Supernatural has a handful of episodes so outside the box that the promos have me worrying that they're jumping the proverbial shark. This season alone we've had Clap Your Hands if You Believe , The French Mistake and now Frontierland. But when Supernatural decides to go outside the box, it's rarely a swing and a miss. Needless to say I was very happy with Frontierland. In fact, I've decided that cowboy hats need to come back in fashion. It really is a good look.


But as great as the hats were, they were just one of the many highlights of Frontierland. We got to meet Samuel Colt in the flesh only to find that he, like most hunters, feels burdened by the job. I couldn't help but notice what a disappointment this was for Sam. At the time I was actually a little surprised that he didn't give Colt a grander speech about his responsibility as a hunter. But in thinking more about it I realized that Sam has seen and felt the burden of this responsibility first hand. Even though he tried to tell Colt that there is no getting out I doubt he really blamed him for trying. I wonder if Sam will ever tell Dean about Colt's attempt to "retire"? Somewhere inside I still think Dean holds on to the dream that hunting and happiness can go hand in hand even if it hasn't worked for him yet. And since Colt is something of a superhero to Dean, his unhappiness has the potential to crush that dream.

 It's been a while since we've heard anything about the Mother of All. I was starting to wonder why they even bothered with her storyline. We already have so much going on this season, what with Sam getting de-souled and re-souled, Grandpa Samuel rising from the dead and dying again and all that purgatory business not to mention whatever Cas has going on in Heaven.  There really hasn't been much time devoted to the MOA story line. And I can't say we learned much more about her in Frontierland other than the fact that the ashes of a phoenix are her equivalent of kryptonite. I wonder how much damage the bottle of ashes Colt sent will do? i find it hard to believe that that bottle of ashes will be all they'll need to fight her but the way the episode ended left us with the impression that they're planning to go after her.I'll be curious to hear they're plan.

My fears were confirmed. It seems that Cas has a dirty little secret. We don't yet know what it is, but whatever he's hiding is bad enough that he was almost killed for it. It has to be something to do with how he's acquiring souls, right? I mean, this whole season has revolved around souls; their power, their worth, their influence. And it has been made fairly clear that souls are what Castiel requires to win this war. He un-sunk the Titanic to acquire a few more. Maybe he's been sneaking around, un-doing other disasters and acquiring souls? Is it possible that that's it? That's the reason Rachel tried to kill him? I think that's a little bit of wishful thinking on my part. Cas is obviously hiding something much bigger and I wonder how inadvertently involved the Winchesters have been. They are in no position to lose another ally and it would be heartbreaking if Cas betrayed them in any way.

I mentioned last week that I was wondering what kind of power was gained from the acquisition of souls. I think we know for sure now that souls equal physical power. Just touching Bobby's gave Castiel the juice to drag Sam and Dean back to the present. Physical power is a good thing to have, especially when you're fighting a war and it would explain why Castiel is so desperately seeking more souls as the war drags on. But we also learned just how dangerous it is to touch the human soul. This makes me worry more about what Castiel seems to be hiding. Is he putting innocent lives in danger for what he sees as the greater good?

There were so many things that Frontierland did right. It would be easy to take these seemingly light-hearted episodes and create what is nothing more than a fun hour of TV, but that would do nothing to propel the story forward. Instead, Supernatural took a quirky concept and used it as a means to advance the plot and set up the groundwork for the remainder of the season. And in true Supernatural fashion, they achieved this feat with no lack of humor. So I would be remiss to talk about this episode without mentioning as many funny moments and I can remember. I'm sure I'll miss some, but I know you guys will help me remember them!

*First of all, the title card. Genius. I think I've seen every episode of Bonanza there is and I loved the shout out to that classic.

*Dean: "We'll Star Trek IV this bitch." Is it sad that I knew that reference before Dean explained it?

* Cas: "Is it customary to wear a blanket?"

*Marshall Clint Eastwood and Walker Texas Ranger. Hilarious.

*Sam riding a horse was almost painful to watch.

*Dean: "I'm a posse magnet. I mean, I love posse. I'm gonna make that a t-shirt."

*I loved that Colt referred to Sam as "a giant from the future with some magic brick".

*Finch: "So you're a hunter?"
 Dean: "Slash Sheriff"

*Bobby's shout out to Deadwood was great. I was actually wondering if that was going to come up.

*Dean: "Yippe ki-yay mother f..." That's a little Die Hard shout out for those of you who didn't catch it. I'm not much of a fan, but I definitely laughed at Dean saying it.

About: Supernatural "The French Mistake"

This week's episode of Supernatural, "The French Mistake", was an entertaining look into an alternate world where Dean Winchester is Jensen Ackles and Sam is "something called a Jared Padalecki". Supernatural does a great job of creating stories that poke fun at the show and give the actors a chance to showcase their awesome comedic skills. We've seen episodes similar to this before; "Tall Tales", "Monster Movie" and "Changing Channels" to name a few. But these episodes function best when they also serve as a catalyst to the over-arching story of the season. In this case, "The French Mistake" brought to the surface the much talked about civil war in heaven. We've heard about it on and off from Cas but so far he's managed to keep the details to a minimum. Maybe we were a little preoccupied with soulless Sam for civil war talk but either way, it's about time we get to hear a little bit about what's going on up there. Except, we didn't really get much information at all. We know Balthazar used Sam and Dean as a decoy so that the weapons could be transferred to Castiel and we know that if Raphael gets his hands on them, something very bad is going to happen. But that's about all we got as far as the over-arching story goes. But for me there was a little more story than meet's the eye.

When I first saw the promo for "The French Mistake" I thought "oh, that looks funny, kind of like Changing Channels" but after watching the episode I see a much different comparison. To me, "The French Mistake" seemed reminiscent of the season two episode "What Is and What Should Never Be" which finds us at the end of season two. Dean has spent the majority of the past year trying to protect Sam from his "destiny" as one of Azazel's chosen children and he's at the end of his rope. He's ready to give up on hunting altogether.

Dean: "Screw the job. Screw it, man. I'm sick of the job anyway. I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. Only thing we get's bad luck."

Sam spends the year dealing with John's warning to Dean, resisting Azazel and fighting his inner demons.

"The French Mistake" finds the boys in a similar position; Dean has spent the season trying to save Sam from himself and find a way to safely restore his soul. He has lost Lisa and Ben, the only fraction of a normal life he's ever had. He's at the end of his rope once again.

Dean: "All we do is make a mess"
Sam: "That's not true, we do save lives now and again."
Dean: "I guess, I'm just tired of all the bad luck, you know?

Sam has come back from his year of soullessness and is trying to reconcile his broken relationships while fighting to keep his memories at bay and "the great wall of Sam" intact.

At this point in WIAWSNB Dean finds himself in an alternate reality (which he comes to find is not reality at all) where he has everything he wants most. His mother is alive, Sam is happily engaged to Jessica and in law school and his dad died peacefully in his sleep. Dean has a girlfriend and a regular job as a mechanic. Sure, he and Sam don't get along but he can fix things with Sam. He's a civilian and he couldn't be more happy about it. In TFM Sam and Dean are sent to an alternate reality where they are actors in the television show about their lives. Sam is happily married to his former co-star and both boys have all the money they could possibly need. But there is one striking difference between these two episodes, Dean is alone in this alternate reality. There is no Ben or Lisa in this world, there isn't a mention of any family at all. He and Sam aren't even brothers and apparently they don't get along here either.

In reality, Sam and Dean are each others only family and they would do anything for the other. They have both sacrificed their lives to save each other and would do it again if they had to. So, it's odd to think that in both these alternate worlds this relationship doesn't exist. If they were never Winchesters then their mother never died and they never went hunting. Even if they were brothers as they were in WIAWSNB, if Mary doesn't die, their relationship never forms.

In WIAWSNB Dean wants to stay in his djinn-induced coma even when he finds out the truth. Sam is happy and his family is together so he's willing to sacrifice his existing relationship with Sam and work on a new one. In TFM Dean questions whether Sam should go back to the real world.

Sam: "No, we'll find a way back."
Dean: "You wouldn't be that broken up if we didn't."
Sam: "What? Don't be stupid."
Dean: Well, I'm just saying, no hell below us, above us only sky.
Sam: "Dean, our friends are back there."
Dean: Yeah, but here you got a pretty good life. I mean back home the hits have been coming since you were six months old. You gotta admit being a bazillionaire, married to Ruby, the whole package. It's no contest.

It seems like Dean is willing once again to make a sacrifice for Sam's happiness. But Sam isn't interested in staying in this world.

Sam: "You know, you were right. We just don't mean the same thing here. We're not even brothers here, man."

Sam and Dean have come a long way since season two but it seems as though they continue to struggle with a lot of the same issues. Sam struggles with who he is and who he was destined to be. He resits the evil that forces its way into his life and continues to try to right his wrongs and alter his destiny. Dean continues to sacrifice everything for his brother and the family business. He's still willing to settle for second best if it means that Sam gets a shot at a better life. Despite their constant battles one thing remains the same, family is the most important thing they have and they will fight to protect it.

There were a couple great moments in "The French Mistake" that I can't go without mentioning.

Dean had some really great lines.
* "I'm a painted whore"
* "Dude, we're not even in America."
* "Dude looks like a lady."

* The picture of Sam on horseback was priceless. I almost couldn't pay attention to the scene because I was so distracted by it.
* Eric Kripke getting gunned down Godfather-style.

About: Supernatural "Like a Virgin"

This post is very late but I couldn't not write about "Like a Virgin", so here we go!

The LOOOOOONG wait is over. Finally. The boys are back and everyone is alive and re-souled (?). Hallelujah! Dean and Death made a deal and everything is perfect, right? Ok, so I know this re-souling isn't going to come without a price but for now, can we just pretend? At least until the end of this paragraph. It was so nice to see Sam so peaceful since we haven't seen him rest this whole season. I was a little worried that he was going to sleep through the whole episode. In fact, I kind of expected him to wake up right at the end when we'd lost all hope. I'm glad that wasn't the case though because I really liked the flow of this episode. I loved having Sam back. And was I the only one who felt like I was looking at Season 2 Sam? He had that fresh-faced Sammy innocence that has been M.I.A. since the middle of season 2. Not that I haven't enjoyed the depth and darkness of Sam's character, because I have. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Emo-Sam from time to time. But, I digress. On to the episode.

As I have said before, I'm spoiler-phobic so I really didn't know what "Like a Virgin" was going to be about. I only knew what the promo told us; "Virgins, Sam. Virgins". If you had told me I'd come back from a nearly two month hiatus to an episode about dragons, I probably would have been...shocked? Confused? I honestly don't know, I really haven't spent much time thinking about dragons. That being said, I was pleased with the way Supernatural handled them. I was happy that they were able to take on human form. The thought of Sam and Dean slaying a scaly over-sized reptile is a little too much for me to handle.

Once I knew we were dealing with dragons I didn't really know what to expect. Like I said, I haven't spent much time thinking about dragons. So, needless to say I didn't realize they had a taste for virgins. And the sword in the stone had slipped my mind completely. The scene that followed was a hilarious reminder. Watching Dean struggle with the sword while Dr. Visyak tried to hold back her smirk was wonderful. It's no secret that Jensen Ackles has great comedic timing and it was perfectly showcased in this scene. My favorite moment of the episode by far was Dean's defeat in the battle of man vs. rock. "Son of a bitch, that's really on there!". While we're still on the topic of Dr. Visyak, I'd like a little back story on her relationship with Bobby. There is definitely some bad blood there.

There were a lot of really funny lines in "Like a Virgin" But there was also some very crucial information given in this episode. These dragon's aren't back after 700 years for no reason, they have a very specific purpose; open the door to purgatory and let something out. "Mother of all" as they're calling her, creator of all things that go bump in the night. Who knew there was a big bad worse than Lucifer? We don't know her plans yet but we know it's not going to be good. Still I can't help but wonder how these dragons came back from a 700 year extinction. I know we've heard theories from Bobby and the boys that it's got something to do with the botched apocalypse but I'd really like to see the show get more specific about why all the bad guys were so affected by it. What is it about the failed apocalypse that causes these changes? Is it a total shift in world order? Then why are the monsters the only ones affected? I need more information! I know I should probably just be patient, I'm sure what I'm looking for will start to come out in the next few episodes.

I was surprised by a few things in this episode. Bobby's cold reaction toward Sam was a bit unsettling to me. On the one hand I understand where Bobby is coming from, Sam did just try to kill him a few days before. But Bobby should know better than anyone that that wasn't Sam. To me, soulless Sam should be no different than the possessed Sam we saw in season 2. In both cases it was Sam, and it wasn't, but they drew on Sam's memories and oppressed emotions. So why is this so much harder for Bobby to deal with? Is it possible that he doesn't believe Sam is really back to his old self? Is he just uncomfortable with the deal with Death because that wouldn't surprise me. Deals have never produced positive results for the Winchesters. Either way, I'll be interested to see Sam and Bobby's interactions in future episodes.

Another thing that surprised me was Sam's reaction after Cas spilled the beans about his year without a soul. I expected and big argument between the brothers. That is a major lie on Dean's part and a huge violation of Sam's trust. I understand why Dean did what he did but Sam had a right to be upset. So why wasn't he? Was he just so wracked with guilt that he didn't feel like he deserved to be angry? Even Bobby warned Dean that when Sam found out, it wasn't going to be pretty. Maybe the anger will come later when Sam inevitably starts to scratch at that wall. As much as we don't want him to, he will because his soul won't let him forget what he's done. And that is Sam's constant battle, constantly trying to right the wrongs in his life.

On the lighter side, I had a few quotes I really enjoyed in this episode, besides the aforementioned sword in the stone scene.

I loved Bobby's shout out to Hogwarts. Love me some Harry Potter.

Sam: Who likes virgins and gold?
Dean: P. Diddy?

How many different ways can Dean use the term "hymenated"? Hilarious.

About: Supernatural and the Hiatus from Hell

I don't know about you but this hiatus is killing me. How long do we have to wait! (January 28th, I know.) This season has been all about patience for me. The summer after (the AMAZING) Swan Song felt like an eternity. So much was left up in the air and so many questions were left unanswered. How long was it before Dean and Bobby saw each other again? What is going on with Dean and Lisa? How did Sam get out of the hole? How long had he been out? Why was the street light blinking? Is that even Sam? And then the season premier finally came and I had a whole new set of questions. Dean is a civilian!? How could Sam let a year pass without contacting Dean? How could Bobby not at least tell Dean that Sam was safe? Grandpa Samuel!? What the heck is wrong with Sam? Where is the Impala?! I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining because I'm not. Shows like Supernatural thrive on anticipation and suspense. If you're not racking your brain after every episode why bother watching? It's part of what makes Supernatural so addicting. but now we've been left sitting on our thumbs for the past month wondering why Death is helping the boys and what's going to happen to Sam? What is up with all these alphas? Grandpa Samuel? What is going on with Cas? So needless to say, I cannot wait for next week's episode "Like A Virgin". I posted the promo below. If you haven't already seen it, what is wrong with you?

I love to hear feedback so don't hesitate to comment! But as always, no spoilers please!



Click here for the last Supernatural post.

About: Supernatural “Two Minutes to Midnight”

We are getting dangerously close to the moment we’ve all been waiting for the entire season. But just when we thought we knew what had to be done the tables turned and we’re back in limbo.

At the beginning of the episode the mission seemed fairly simple- all things considered. Find Pestilence and Death and get their rings. It was supposed to be the next step that was difficult. But when the boys wiped Pestilence off the map so quickly (with a little help from Cas, who I was more than happy to see again) I began to get worried. I knew it was a little too easy. Taking on two horseman in one episode seemed a little rushed for Supernatural; not a show that tends to rush plot lines. But I had no idea what kind of twist was in store.

Before I go on, I do want to say that I loved the sequence of Death walking down the street to “Oh Death” (by Jen Titus if you were wondering, and I was). That was one of the most haunting scenes I’ve ever seen on Supernatural. I’m getting chills just thinking about it!

So Pestilence is taken care of. Then, we find out that Bobby, in true Winchester fashion, has decided to loan his soul to Crowley. I can’t say I blame him considering the outlook of things, but come on! Haven’t we learned by now that this soul selling business is never a good idea? Besides, I’m not sure that I trust Crowley yet. I’m still feeling betrayed by Ruby who turned out to be exactly what instinct told us she was. The good news is that Bobby can walk again, for now. But I bet he’d be willing to make a permanent crossroads deal with Crowley if it meant the use of his legs for ten years. I’m starting to think that was in Crowley’s plan to begin with. Let Bobby feel what it’s like to walk again and he’ll never want take his soul back leaving Crowley with the “insurance” to keep him safe from the Winchesters.

How suspicious was it when Crowley led Dean to the location of Death only to find out he wasn’t there? Crowley could not have been more un-phased by that realization. Did he just not care or was he not surprised? I can’t see the point of writing the wrong location into the plot unless there was a reason for it. And Crowley did eventually lead Dean to Death when he didn’t have to so it seems like he wasn’t planning on breaking his deal but is there more to the first location than they let on?

Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Castiel is now a human! This is just a problem that I don’t know what to do with. At this point there’s no way Cas is going to get his Angel mojo back unless the moment I’ve been hoping for actually happens. God’s triumphant return! I’m still hoping that God will come back to save the day and reward Cas for being his most faithful servant. But I’m an optimist. Well, either way at this point Cas is now about as helpful as Bobby.

Now on to the biggest problem of all. Death. I think we all knew that Dean’s sneak attack on Death was not going to work but I guess he had to try. (Lately it seems like all the demons and horsemen have a spidey sense that detects Sam and Dean. I don’t remember that being something that demons were capable of earlier in the series. I could be wrong though. But I digress…) Then, when Death told Dean to sit down and eat pizza with him (Chicago style pizza!) I started to get nervous. I thought for sure that Dean was going to put his butter knife to use until the conversation took a turn. Death is a slave to Lucifer, that wasn’t a surprise, but the fact that he’s older and far more powerful was. How did Lucifer manage to trap death in the first place? The fact that he wants Lucifer in the hole was also a shocker. Once I knew that, I knew what had to come next. Dean had to promise that Sam would say yes to Lucifer. The exact thing we don’t want to happen. Because now we have a problem; either Sam does what Death wants or Dean dies. If Sam says yes to Lucifer, it’s likely that he’ll “die” as we know it. So now we just have to hope that Cas was right about Sam’s strength because it’s clear that he is the only one who can end this.

What an episode! I can’t wait to see how the season will end!

Thanks for reading!

About: Supernatural “Point of No Return”

Happy 100th! It’s hard to believe it’s already been 100 episodes but at the same time I feel like I’ve known these boys forever. Can you believe how far this show has come since the woman in white? What a trip!

So let's talk about "Point of No return". I really enjoyed this episode. There was a lot time spent on the relationships between the characters and how they've evolved over the seasons. But most of all I think "Point of No Return was about Faith; faith in family, faith in what is right, and faith in yourself.

The spare Winchester is back! I have to say I really liked Jake Abel as Adam Milligan (Winchester). He not only looks and talks like a Winchester but he’s got the devil-may-care attitude down to a tee. I was glad to see them bring his character back. While things don’t look good for him at this point, I don’t think this is the last time we’ll see Adam Winchester (more on that later).

If we learned anything from “Point of No Return” it was that you do not want to piss off Cas. Dean got a royal ass kicking that was not totally undeserved. Cas has sacrificed everything for Sam and Dean. While I understand Dean’s feelings too, no matter how selfish they seem, Cas is not ready to see these boys fail. I think he’s secretly holding on to a shred of hope that the God he has served for who-knows-how-long will intervene. I am definitely holding on to that same hope.

Last night’s episode also had some very heartbreaking moments and what I thought was some really great acting. When Dean told Bobby that he wasn’t his father he may as well have slapped him across the face. Bobby has been such a great help to these boys over the years and he has been more of a father to them then John ever was. Bobby has kept going for these boys even after he was paralyzed and more recently forced to kill his own wife, again. I obviously, don’t think Dean meant what he said but it was selfish of him to say regardless. It seemed like Dean had a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself last night. I was surprised by what Dean said to Sam about not believing in him. We knew that Dean never really forgave Sam for abandoning the family to go to school. He also has never trusted him in the same way since the demon blood addiction and alliance with Ruby. But for Dean to come out and say something that hurtful to Sam was a really low blow that couldn’t have come at a worse time. I guess I hadn’t realized the depth of mistrust Dean had for Sam. Sam has spent a long time trying to make up for his mistakes and to have that go un-noticed by Dean must have been very hurtful. (Look at me forgetting that these aren’t real people) And Sam has clearly never lost his trust in Dean. I thought his decision to bring Dean along to save Adam was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. But clearly, Sam knows Dean better than I do. I will say that I was glad to have the boys really talk about their trust issues. For so much of the season they have pretended that these deeper issues aren’t there. They’ve had a lot on their plate and I guess their trust in each other can’t take precedence over the apocalypse but these are issues that they needed to sort out if they are ever going to fight as a united front.

My roommate and I were discussing whether or not Adam Winchester’s character was created specifically for the purpose he served in “Point of No Return”. Did Kripke know back in season four’s “Jump the Shark” that he would use Adam as the Zachariah’s bait to get Dean to agree to Michael’s proposal? It seems like a huge thing to introduce another Winchester brother only to kill him off in the same episode. I think Kripke is more creative than that. I also don’t believe that Adam is dead now. I would be a little disappointed if they brought him back just to kill him off for a second time; although, multiple deaths seem to run in the Winchester family. I think Adam will pop up again at a moment when Kripke has us thinking that all is lost. Although, I'm not sure how things can get darker for the Winchester’s at this point.

Another question I discussed with my roommate (are you sensing a theme?) is whether or not we think Michael is all that bad. We met Lucifer who is obviously no good but so far, Michael is yet to be seen. This makes me think that maybe he’s not all bad. In fact, maybe God is using Michael- I still think God is testing the Winchester’s faith. Maybe not so much their faith in God, because that seems shot to hell at this point, but maybe their faith in what is right and their faith in each other which seemed to be the main theme of “Point of No Return”. In this episode, it looked like God sent Zachariah on the mission to resurrect Adam which was maybe supposed to be a hint at God’s position on the subject of Dean as Michael's vessel. But I really wonder if God knew how everything would play out. I wonder if he knew Dean would end up in that room and would have to make the decision to accept Michael’s proposal and fail or continue to fight for what he thinks is right. Either way, I refuse to believe that God has “checked out”.

I am very interested to see how things play out as season five comes to a close. Either way, the boys will be back next season so I’ll find hope in the fact that they can’t die, yet.

Here’s to 100 great episodes and counting!

About: Supernatural “99 Problems”

Well, we’re back from hiatus and we’re definitely rolling toward the Apocalypse. “99 Problems” was a snap back to the reality of all that these boys are facing. The world is falling apart around them. They have angels and demons on their tail and no real allies to count on except for Bobby, Castiel, and each other, sort of. And on top of all these problems, they also have to face the fact that they’re vessels in an apocalyptic war that they don’t want to be a part of. It seems too much for any sane person to handle.

The episode began in the midst of a chase scene between the boys and some angry demons. Already off to a good start. But I definitely wasn’t expecting a Lutheran demon-fighting army to show up. How ironic that Sam and Dean come across a God fearing group of hunters after finding out that God, their last hope in this fight, doesn’t think the Apocalypse is really his problem anymore. Although, I still think God is testing these boys but that’s just a side note.

We were introduced to Leah, the so called prophet, and at first was thinking these boys had finally found a group of allies to help them. I should know better by now. This “whore of Babylon” definitely came at a different angle than we’ve seen before; Fake exorcisms, fake visions and worst of all, false hope. I really felt bad for the town. These people are just desperate. With the apocalypse looming on the horizon they’d do anything to ensure a one way ticket to paradise. This episode did a great job of humanizing the apocalypse for us. Who couldn’t see themselves in the shoes of the poor mother who lost her son and would do anything to see him again? And now it seems she's damned.

The pressure is definitely mounting between these brothers. Dean lost any shred of hope he had when he realized that God doesn’t care about him or Sam or anyone else for that matter. It seems he’s had enough “dead-beat dad” drama to last him a while. Meanwhile, Sam is trying desperately to hold it together. You could see his worry and reluctant mis-trust of Dean building throughout the episode. Sam knows that Dean has given up but it seems like he's refuses to give up on Dean. It was heartbreaking to watch Dean confess his feelings to Lisa knowing that he will never have a chance to be happy the way he wants to. And I felt so bad for Sam when I heard Dean’s car start up. Sam seems to have known for a while that he may loose Dean to this battle and I don’t think Sam thinks he can resist Lucifer on his own. It's more difficult to watch knowing that Sam and Dean are both justified in feeling the way they do. But it doesn't seem like they can both get their way. Dean can’t really think that the angels with accept his ground rules. Even if they do agree to keep Lisa and Ben safe, there’s no way they’d agree to a guideline that keeps Sam protected. It seems like a selfish decision on Dean’s part. He’s too willing to sacrifice himself for the ones he loves. And every time he does, he ends up leaving them in more danger and alone.

So we walked away with a few questions this episode. How is it possible that Dean was able to kill the "Whore" when it had to be a warrior of heaven? My roommate and I were discussing the possibility that Dean has already consigned himself to being the vessel. He may not have vocalized it, but he’s had a change of heart so maybe that’s all it took. Another thing I’m trying to decide is when the turning point was for Dean. When did he decide he was going to say yes to Michael? Was it the conversations with Pamela in heaven? Was it after he found out that God wasn’t going to help him? Or is he just looking for quick a way out?

The first half of the season has been a little back and forth when it comes to the importance of the apocalypse from episode to episode. Some weeks it seems to be the main focal point of the episode and other weeks it’s been present only in the background. With the way things are shaping up, and only six episodes left in the season, it seems like it will take a leap to the forefront. It should be an exciting season finale and I only hope the boys can stick it out!

Thanks for reading!