Oh boy. This one is a doozy. It’s one of those episodes which make you turn around and go back, way back, and re-watch specific moments. Now this scene makes sense, now you know why this has happened. And ack, it broke my freaking heart!
The opening montage is beautifully done: a car accident, or so it seems, a woman, and then Castiel lights up the screen, staring gravely at the poor woman…and as the camera zooms out we see the outline of her wings on the bitumen…nice!
Our boys have just buried Pamela, who devastatingly died in the previous episode. I will most definitely miss her; she was the epitome of all the fans. And that would be why they killed her off, as every female character we like on this show never survives for very long. So they get into their hotel room and find Castiel and Uriel waiting for them. They’ve caught Alistair (What? He’s not dead?) And are trying to extract information from him, and for that, they need a torturer. Which is why they’ve come to Dean, the best torturer they know, seeing as he spent 40 years in hell. Sam is not having any of it, because he doesn’t believe Dean can break Alistair, as he sees his brother as weak. And damn Sammy, what has that Ruby girl done to you? Although I guess this is the result of 4 months of learning to stand on your own 2 feet out of your brother’s shadow….err…can you crawl back into it now? I preferred the optimistic, naïve and cute Sammy. Of course, being angels, Castiel and Uriel merely vanish…and take Dean along with them. Hmm. Now, Sammy sees his weak brother as being kidnapped by the angels. You know, I never thought I’d be writing that sentence.
Dean has a little chat with Castiel, who convinces to bring out his bad side and torture Alistair for information on who’s killing angels, and how. So he goes in and tyhey have annoying little moments of chit-chat, with Dean preparing his instruments of torture as Alistair tries to break him. Of course, he’d be the one person who knows how to.
He even drags out old Daddy Dearest yet again, claiming how Daddy dearest never broke, but Dean did after only 30 measly years. Dean calmly and quietly continues preparing his torture devices, which are nasty. Of course, the reason Alistair is baiting him is because he realises there is a leaking pump, resolutely breaking the devil’s trap holding him. He’s keeping Dean pre-occupied so he doesn’t notice.
In the meantime, Anna visits Castiel to tell him to think for himself and be all pale and ghost-like. Sam also has a visit from Ruby, and she helps him find Dean with a really cool trick…and then we find out exactly what Sammy has been getting up all these months, besides exorcising demons and sleeping with one. He’s been sucking demon blood from Ruby. Which…..I don’t think I even have words for. Just. Ick. Dammit Sammy…you are so screwed up right now! He gathers extra-strength from the demon blood, so he sucks some more up in order to go and break Dean free, because he’s so sure Dean is incapable of doing anything himself. Oh, this does so not bode well for our intrepid heroes’ futures. He goes racing off after Dean.
In the meantime…oh, I don’t know if I have the words for it. This bit…
Alistair pulls out his drawcard. He reveals to Dean exactly why he was in hell, exactly what the plan was. Apparently, once Lilith had the contract in her hand, she set the whole plan of releasing Lucifer into motion. Because the first seal had to be broken by a righteous man in hell, torturing others. Do you realise what this means?
It means Dean broke the first seal, he set it all into motion when he picked up that scythe and started slicing and dicing. All of this, all the seals, the deaths, Lucifer…it’s all HIS FAULT.
The close-up on Jensen here is beautiful, you know can see him holding resolutely, but in his eyes, you see him breaking. Gah.
And this is of course when Alistair breaks free and grabs Dean and slams him into the wall.
We come back into it a little later to find Dean practically pulverised and Castiel finally comes dashing into the room to take Alistair on, except, yet again, he is overtaken, plucked onto a meat-hook and nearly killed…when Sam comes in and kills Alistair once and for all. Of course, Castiel is really unhappy now, having seen Sam use his power…to rescue him. Oh the moral dilemmas!
Our next scene is Dean lying in a hospital bed. (SQUEE!) Sam is next to him, all terrified, begging Castiel to help him, but he can’t. I think Sam is also starting to come to some of his own realisations, and he ain’t happy with the angels.
Castiel goes back to the factory and realises the trap was broken, which was how Dean was so badly injured. And then Uriel comes back in..and it’s revealed Uriel is the one whose been killing the angels, because only an angel can kill another angel. He has decided Lucifer had the right idea and has joined a secret underground movement helping Lucifer’s escape, setting the trap to get rid of one his problems, ie Dean. And then we have an angelic showdown, which, inevitably, the gorgeous tousle-headed Castiel wins. Thank the heavens.
We come to our last scene, with Dean waking up in hospital and seeing his guardian angel by his bedside. They have a small chat, as Castiel tells Dean to be more careful, because some of the angels are bad and probably gunning for him. And then Dean asks if it’s true. If it’s true about him breaking the first seal. Castiel can’t lie. And Dean is so heartbreakingly destroyed right here….sniffle. Catsiel reveals ocne they figured out Lilith’s plan they battled their way into hell to try and stop it from happening, to save Dean. But they were too late. Dean wants to know why he rescued him.
Castiel looks at him and reveals, the one who started it, is the one who will end it.
Fudge. Hell. So…my god…..Dean…Dean actually has his own arc? He…has his own little path that is in absolutely no way tied to Sam? Are you people serious? I was terrified it was all tied to Sam, but….it’s all about DEAN! (Cue exuberant squeeing here).
Ahem.
Dean, in typical Dean-esque fashion, tells Castiel where he can stuff it. No, not there, sadly. He tells Castiel to find someone else, because he isn’t strong enough and he can’t do it.
Sounds to me like someone’s been listening to baby brother a little bit too much.
Never fear, 2 crazy ass episodes ahead before another hiatus and then the last 4 in a big bang!!
