Well, this one took two viewings in order for me to process it properly.
It’s a pretty interesting concept – after all, how do you bring a main character back from hell? How do you settle down enough to watch this unfold after the unbearable excitement of seeing said character die…and go to hell?
So we start with a wonderful recap of 3 seasons to AC/DC, fast becoming my favourite band for this show. We then follow up with random fleeting flashes of Dean’s eye, tinted in red, with tortured screams as the soundtrack….and then he wakes up.
In his coffin.
GAH!
He croaks out a help in his (unbelievably sexy) throaty and disused voice, which, dude, you’re in a coffin – I really don’t think anyone heard you! He manages to break through the shoddily created pine box, which of course allows the piles of dirt to fall on top of him. And ok, there’s quite a few errors here which I would like to gloss over, such as the lack of oxygen available in that coffin (unless the one who brought him back also provided him with emergency oxygen?) and as he’s attempting to crawl through 6 feet of dirt…but yes, we’ll just move swiftly over to the beautiful re-birthing of Dean Winchester! Because that’s exactly what it looks like.
Can I just mention a massive giant SQUEE right here?
So, he climbs and sees the funky surroundings, as all the trees which were initially hiding his grave from view are now lying in a slightly creepy circle…..almost how the park down the street looked after those 2 thunderstorms decided to collide above our houses…so you can tell it was a colossal amount of effort bringing our Dean back to life (and I will bow down and kiss the feet of the person who did). Beautiful imagery of Dean’s shadow parallel to the cross’s shadow.
He wanders off to find people, fluids. Anything and breaks into a deserted fuels tore. And you’d think he’d be asking himself why is this place deserted, but then again, it looks like dead Hicksville so maybe he’s just more interested in the cool crisp water lying inside in the fridge. And I love how you can see a sign behind him saying please keep door closed – and he doesn’t! Heh, as a former store attendant, these things are important to me. So he picks up some water for his dry throat, munches down on chocolate, packs a few provisions for the journey (including busty asian beauties) and then this up the cash register…when the tv flicks on. He switches it off, but it turns back on. So he rushes out to do the salt lines, but is afflicted by the high-pitched whine which shatters all the windows, and little specks of glass flicker over him. And then it’s gone.
All this in near perfect silence. Barely no words are spoken, there isn’t a bounding soundtrack…it’s quiet, stilted and weird. Which is a brilliant examination of how the world would feel to a man who’s been buried dead and gone for the past 4 months. I really love this show and it’s little intrinsic details.
So, he goes to find Bobby, who really doesn’t believe it’s him and nearly kills him, but Dean manages to convince him he’s for real..almost. That little moment where he’s let his guard down and Bobby splashes him with holy water is unexpected and priceless. Heh, how did Bobby know exactly what thousands of fangirls around the world would want?
I love how you can see how Dean’s death has affected them all. Bobby has taken to drinking, unable to cope with failing the person he sees as his own son? It’s a truly beautiful moment.
Dean’s first moment with Sam….I don’t know, I guess it could never live up to the hype (particularly not after the stories I’ve been reading). But seeing Sam’s face, the thoughts running through his head, knowing he did everything possible to pull his brother out and failing, and coming to the conclusion this is not his brother, it’s just awesome. You can see that shock, and that hope vanishing…and then as he realises it is his brother, and he holds onto him, just not willing to let him go. Gah, these boys, they make me cry!
Lot of exposition here, and then we head to meet the saucy tramp psychic who hits on both of them and is kind of cool and I wish they’d have kept her around longer. Because in trying to see who brought Dean back, her eyes are burnt out of their sockets. NASTY!
But we get a name – Castiel.
So, now the boys want to find the demons which led Sam back here, only they find them first. And interestingly enough, they can’t or won’t attack Dean? I’m confused – is he immune because of Castiel? Or are they simply too afraid of the repercussions of touching Golden Boy? See this is my confusion, which I guess will be sorted out over the next few episodes. Ultimately, if demons can no longer touch him (and are too scared to go near Sam, which means they’ve become the untouchables and the most desirables) maybe they’ll find some other way of trying to kill him? (yes, please!)
So they walk away unscathed, and later on that evening Sam slips out as Dean sleeps. You see, Sam wants to waste the demons but Dean is not for going in half-cocked. BUT! Sam has been lying to him and hasn’t revealed he fell to the dark side and started using his powers – his evil powers – with the help of Ruby. Who seems to be inhabiting the body of the girl he was with earlier (and the actress? Is a really crappy Ruby. Bring back Katie Cassidy, for heaven and hell, please!) Now on this point – rewatch is truly is valuable as I can’t see any reason why she would be Ruby the first time. I really think she was a random girl Sam picked up for the night (in his whole I’m tough like Dean mode) and that she only possessed her later – Sam looks a little confused when she first steps in to the diner as Ruby, so that’s my take on the whole issue. I mean, I’m sure she’s been around – see, I really want to see what Sam’s been through in the past 4 months, because that would answer a hell of a lot of questions!
In the meantime, Dean gets attacked by flying glad again, and this time the sound is so bad his ears start bleeding. But Bobby comes storming into the rescue! – and the 2 decide to summon the big bad who pulled him out.
Of course, without reading any spoilers (although this managed to stay out of the spoilers, which is a huge achievement for this show) I still had an idea it wasn’t a demon who pulled Dean back. If it wasn’t Sam it had to be someone good. After all, why else would they bring him back? Why would a demon drag him out of the torment of hell? So I wasn’t as shocked as others by the reveal Castiel is….
An ANGEL.
A hot one at that. Can I keep him?
And He brought Dean back to do God’s will. Hmm.
It was a bit of a shock, let me tell you. And I am excited. I’m excited about Castiel…but a portion of me is also a little upset by this. Well not upset, but it’s another thing where we have to see how the season pans out. I’m not too fussed on this epic good v evil storyline – to me it’s a little too epic and too literal. I don’t believe in hell nor heaven, nor in God. Which, yeah, Dean doesn’t believe in God – but he believes in hell and demons, so his reckoning is a little screwed up. I don’t believe in either side; it’s all nonsense to me, and storylines which start leaning heavily on the God angle annoy me. All you have to do is find my review of Houses of the Holy from season 2. But as early as that I kind of had this suspicion of Dean being an angel and doing the work of good – so I’m going to swallow my own negative conceptions and jump wholeheartedly on the bandwagon – just be warned Kripke, you better not screw this one up!
