supernatural season eight

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×22 “Clip Show”

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Review of Episode 8×22: “Clip Show”
by castiello

Initial Thoughts: They killed Sarah. Sam’s Sarah. Right in front of him. Right in front of us…It was awful and brutal and…and…**runs off to sob in a dark corner**

A few hours later…

Okay, I think I’ve recovered enough to talk about the episode.

Sammy: Oh, poor baby…Watching Sarah die like that and not being able to do anything about it…Seriously, there are no words. I almost couldn’t bear to look at the screen. And afterwards, his brokenness. His defeat. So painful…Now Sam wants to give up on the quest, and I can’t blame him – who knows which person Crowley will go after next? I mean, think about the kids Sam and Dean have saved: that little boy in “Dead in the Water,” the little girl in “Playthings,” Krissy, Ben…Just going over the possibilities makes me feel a little sick. Crowley sure knew which trigger to pull didn’t he? And so did the writers. Ouch.

Proud of Sam for sticking up for Cass in this ep. Dean went on and on about all the crap Cass has pulled recently – which honestly isn’t that bad compared to things Castiel’s done in the past, e.g. teaming up with the King of Hell – and Sam’s simple argument for why they should forgive their angel buddy consisted of three short words: “Because it’s Cass.” Amen, Sam! Amen!

Sarah’s observations about Sam’s hair may have been flawed (Yes, you heard me, I didn’t like the Season One haircut. Nay, I hated it **ducks sharp objects hurled by rabid Sam girls**) but what she noticed about his character was right on the $$$. She said he seems more self-assured. Seeing as he felt lost and guilty and cursed when she first met him, it was cool to see Sam’s changes through the eyes of someone who hasn’t been there to witness everything he’s survived in the past seven-to-nine years. The differences between then and now, both physical and mental, are staggering. He is all grown up, just like Sarah said.

She also said that Sam “knows what he wants.” At that particular moment, I’d say it was true. Sam wanted to close the Hell Gate, and then go on to lead a normal, “apple pie” life. The only problem with that goal: Sam and Dean have no idea what will happen when the Gate slams shut. They are operating under the highly unrealistic expectation that once the door is closed, all things that screech and claw and rip people up will instantly go “poof” and the world will be a calm place, empty of both monsters and demons. When this doesn’t happen, and there are still ten million creatures out there killing innocent folks, then I have no idea what Sam will want. He’s been very committed to this task…but what about the next one?

Dean: Another poor baby. Though Sarah’s death surely didn’t impact him as hard as it did Sam, I know Dean can’t be taking it well, either. Especially thinking about who might be next. I mean Crowley does know about Ben and Lisa. Wiping Lisa and Ben’s memories has done nothing to prevent Dean’s ex-girlfriend and surrogate son from being used as a weapon – why would it matter to Crowley that they don’t remember Dean? Dean remembers them, and that’s all Crowley cares about. They are a way to emotionally gut Dean, just as Sarah’s death emotionally gutted Sam. And Crowley was wicked smart not to start with Lisa and Ben – holding onto them as an ace in the hole was one of his usual strokes of demonic brilliance.

But now Dean is in a major Catch-22 situation. Because if he and Sam don’t quit, Ben, Lisa and hundreds of other people could die senselessly. But if they do quit, then Sam dies. And that is simply not an option in Dean’s book, or in mine. Dean’s main driving force at this point is trying to get Sam better. Without completing the third task, that won’t happen. Sam is clearly willing to make the sacrifice, but there’ll be Ice Capades in Hell before Dean goes along with that plan.

Not diggin’ how mean Dean was to Castiel in this episode. Poor Cass had his brain rewired – numerous times – and still managed to overcome his programming to keep himself from killing Dean. So what if Castiel took the angel tablet? Dean doesn’t have any right to that, anyway. Get off your high horse, Dean! (Ooh, I just had a cool mental image of Dean riding Death’s horse in the apocalypse…) Seriously, though, this is not the first time Dean’s been downright cold towards Cass – remember back in Season Six when the angel civil war was going down? Most of the time, Dean acted like he couldn’t care less. I think he offered to help a grand total of one time, and even then it was only as an afterthought. I know the current strife between Cass and Dean won’t last forever – it never does. So I’ll suck it up…for now. But all the while I’ll be eagerly looking forward to the return of the closeness I have come to cherish between Dean and his angel.

Sarah: You know, there’s a part of me that rages against certain post-Season Five creative choices. Like killing off Bobby, having Castiel be the bad guy for a whole season, turning Grandpa Samuel into a world-class d!ck, etc, etc. Now, I will be adding killing off Sarah and Tommy to that list. Okay, maybe Tommy’s death was somewhat acceptable, but Sarah? The one girl who was pretty darn near universally approved by the fandom as a potential mate for Sam? When the post-Season Five creative team decided to take her away from us, something rose up inside of me. Something like “This is NOT your show. This is KRIPKE’S show. You are not running it as well as he did, therefore you do NOT have a right to kill off beloved characters on a whim.” And then I realized: that is exactly how I am supposed to feel – because that is exactly how Sam and Dean feel. The people they’ve saved are the one thing that keeps them going, the one pure, good thing they can look back on when they want to feel better. Crowley took that from them, and the writers took it from us, creating a perfect moment of empathy between the fans and the characters. Hats off to some tremendous, Kripke-worthy writing.

Castiel: Totally won my heart over during his trip to the grocery story, buying jerky and Busty Asian Beauties and demanding PIE. In his childlike, emotionally-stunted, socially-crippled way, Cass was doing everything he could to make things right with Dean. I only wish Castiel had finished the job rather than teaming up with Metatron for some seriously-dubious Nephilim-hunting. It’s scary how easily Cass can be led astray, even after the Crowley debacle…

Metatron: I was just saying how much I liked this dude, and already he’s lost some of my respect! Killing an innocent creature that had committed no crime aside from being born? ICK. The justification “she’s an abomination” holds less water than a desert. You can’t kill somebody for no other reason than because they happen to exist. And the self-defense argument doesn’t work, either – Castiel and Metatron went after this girl with the intent of murdering her. So what if she made the first move? I had nothing but sympathy for this creature, no matter how mean and bad-@$$ they tried to make her seem. Metatron’s idea about closing Heaven was well-reasoned, but the cost of getting the job done is already too high.

Abadon: Sam and Dean get major IQ points for leaving her without hands – I’ll give them that. Sadly, that’s about all the IQ points they earned in this episode. There was no logic behind reconstructing one of Lucifer’s Knights. They had a dangerous demon successfully incapacitated, and they brought her back for no good reason. The demon-curing exorcism they listened to was performed on a REGULAR demon – there was no reason to think it would or could work on a super-powered Knight of Hell. And at that point in the ep, Sam and Dean didn’t know that Crowley was intentionally keeping demons and demonic creatures away from them. So, there was no reason not to try to find a normal demon to test the ritual on. No reason except that the writers wanted Abadon back, and took the easiest route possible to have that happen. Sam and Dean didn’t even put her in a devil’s trap, for crying out loud! They relied solely on the bullet rather than putting every possible precaution into place, and that’s so not them. Also, they left her unattended. And they left her hands about two feet away from her. Stupid X infinity. The only positive thing I can say about the Abadon mess is that watching her hand creep across the table and jump onto her shoulder and reach into her brain was a fine moment of horror television. I think my skin crawled away.

Crowley: Can’t talk about him right now. The pain is still too fresh.

Re: Closing Heaven: I like that the tasks to close the Heaven Gate are quite the opposite of the ones required to close Hell. To shut the door on demons, a person is asked to do good things – e.g. kill an evil creature, save an innocent soul, cure a demon. But to close Heaven, a person must do something morally corrupt, like cut the heart out of a creature that doesn’t deserve to die. I shudder to think what else Castiel and his new friend will have to do to meet their goal…

Final Thoughts: So, Abadon is (stupidly) on the loose, Crowley is hitting the boys – and the fans – where it really hurts, Sam’s ready to give up, Dean doesn’t know which way to turn, and Castiel and Metatron have embarked on a morally-questionable-at-best mission to save angel-kind. Sounds to me like we have all the makings of a gut-wrenching, thrill-a-minute season finale :).

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×21 “The Great Escapist”

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Review of Episode 8×21: “The Great Escapist”
by castiello

Overall: Cool. Very cool. A different kind of episode, but not in a bad way. I think the fact that Sam and Dean weren’t ever really part of the action gave the episode a weird, low-key sort of feeling. It felt like an in-between episode. Too important to be labeled a “filler,” and yet not epic enough to be called a true mytharc episode. Despite the strange pacing, we got to see some wonderful insights into Sam and Dean’s childhood, we finally learned what the third task was, both Cass and Kevin escaped from Crowley, and the King of Hell got to try on his directing hat. All in all, this episode was fun and informative, and, as usual, it left me excited for the next one.

Sam: Man, those make-up people are doing an awesome job! Sam looks sick as a dog: pale, feverish, even a little bit manic. We learned that his physical symptoms are at least partially due to the delay between each task. Which makes some degree of sense, and reminds me of a neat fanfic I read several years ago where something similar was happening to Dean (And The Ground Shook by sams1ra). When Sam is making progress toward the next task, he feels better. When he is neglecting the trials, the magic inside of him festers restlessly. I guess whoever took on the tasks was supposed to read all three of them ahead of time and just get them done right in a row, without any dilly-dallying around in between. Which Sam and Dean would’ve done – if they could’ve read the friggin’ thing…Which brings me back to something I said a while ago: It’s insanely dumb to start an epic quest when you only have half of the information.

Another possible reason for Sam’s symptoms – he seems to think the trials are purifying him. This is very interesting. I have to wonder – does Sam even still have demon blood inside of him? He hasn’t displayed powers in about three years, give or take (don’t blame me for being fuzzy on the math – this is what happens when the show keeps skipping over years…). I wonder if he really does still have anything impure running through his veins, and if slamming the hell door really is burning the bad blood right out of him. Would be awesome if it were true, but it could just as easily be a delirium-induced product of Sam’s imagination. He still feels unclean, and wants to believe he’s being purified.

Sam’s memory of feeling tainted as a child gave me chills. Again, it could’ve been fever-induced, and not a real memory, but I believed it. It’s certainly possible that somewhere in the back of Sam’s consciousness, he always knew. His memory about the “farty donkey” – and the goofy, loopy way he told it – was just plain cute. My only complaint about that otherwise charming brother scene: unless my ears were playing tricks, I think Sam said they took the donkey ride at the Grand Canyon. Which would make a continuity error, because in “Croatoan,” Dean specifically said he’d never been there. Stuff like that always makes diehard fans twitch. Like in “Sam, Interrupted,” when Dean said that Sam had always been a “happy drunk.” Again, it was an adorable scene, but we’ve seen Sam drunk on several occasions, and he has consistently been melancholy, sometimes even desperate and tearful. Not exactly my definition of happy. If the viewers can remember these little details, why can’t the writers?

Niggling fan issue aside, though, I will cuddle the donkey story as a rare instance of John actually being a good father. And I do love John… 🙂

Dean: This whole situation is just killing him. He was the one who wanted to close the Hell Gate. He was the one who wanted to take on the tasks. And it ended up being Sam, instead. So, not only is Sam’s life in danger during the tasks, but also in between them, due to an unforeseen side effect of taking on the job. Right now, I’m betting Dean is sorry he ever suggested this quest in the first place. Certainly, if he knew then what he does now, he never would have let Sam perform that first spell. As it is, Dean doesn’t even seem to care very much about closing the Hell Gate anymore – the only reason he wants the third task completed is because he hopes it will stop the symptoms and save Sam’s life. Desperation, protectiveness and fear are Dean’s only remaining motivations at this point.

I will say he’s doing the best he can to keep it together and to keep Sam together. Although, when you put somebody in ice water to bring down their fever, are you really supposed to submerge their nose and mouth like that? Couldn’t the person drown while they’re unconscious?? Just sayin’…

I had to love Dean for telling Sam, “It’s not your fault,” about the demon blood thing. Too often in the past, Dean has seemed icked out, freaked out, or just plain judgmental about Sam’s powers and their dark origins. Although I always knew that Dean didn’t love Sam any less for being “tainted,” I don’t think Sam knew it. I think Sam needed that reassurance. And, although it came quite a few years later than it should have, I’m glad Dean finally said the words.

Kevin: That video…Dang. Those little bits of broken glass on the floor used to be my heart. An inspired and emotional performance. I loved Kevin all the way through this ep, from his cleverness at figuring out Crowley’s mind game, to his willpower as he refused to reveal the third task, to his relief and happiness at the end of the episode. Our favorite prophet has seemed broken in recent episodes. Here, he finally seemed whole. At peace. My only questions: 1.) If Crowley really took Kev, does this mean Tiger Mommy really is dead??? (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO) 2.) Where in the name of heck is Garth?? Did something happen to him, too? Shouldn’t the guys be trying to find him??? Why is no one particularly concerned that a hunter (AKA a person with the world’s most dangerous, high-mortality job) is MIA? Oy.

Crowley: “I was born to direct.” “I could’ve played Dean myself.” “I’ve got deals and plans up the jacksies.” With lines like that, is it any wonder that I wanted him to win in the showdown with Naomi? Bad Angel Lady is cruel, scary and gross. Crowley’s all those things, and he can make me spit out my Koolaid in a fit of laughter. Anyone who can do that deserves the win. 🙂

Cass: Keeping the tablet inside of himself? Pure genius. And the trick with Biggerson’s…Man he knows just how to scramble the brains of his fellow angels, doesn’t he? “There are just so many Biggerson’s…” ROFL. Marry me, Ben Edlund. Right now. Today.

I actually thought Cass would convince Ion to help him. Ion seemed conflicted, and I get the feeling that Crowley was just the lesser of two evils. (How sad is that? Between a demon and an angel, the demon is the less morally corrupt choice…) I could see Ion becoming an ally, but sadly, it wasn’t to be – Ion got an angel bullet through the brain, and we won’t be seeing him again.

We will be seeing Cass, who managed to escape despite severe injuries and pop up right in front of the oncoming Impala. Can’t really blame Sam and Dean for hesitating to run to his aid, though – considering the last time Cass was with them, he basically beat Dean into mulch. And Castiel, who was channeling his inner Dean all episode long, couldn’t help but respond to their pause with a sarcastic, “A little help, here?” My heart does this little fluttering thing whenever Castiel talks like Dean, or even just tries to talk like Dean: “Hey ass-butt!” 🙂 I guess I just love to see those little hints of their bond, those signs that Cass has come so far from the “follow orders” mode he was in when we first met him.

Metatron: Very likeable, very funny, very…human. I couldn’t help but warm up to this little angel from the secretarial pool. He loves his stories, and the excitement in his voice when he talked about the “raw, wild invention of God’s naked apes,” made me smile. This is a rare angel who likes and respects humans. That said, he was a coward, as Sam said, for hiding away while an apocalyptic crapstorm was going down. Metatron redeemed himself by saving Kevin and joining the fight. I was, however, chilled by the angel scribe’s last words to Dean. What will happen if they manage to close the Gate? What will the world be like, and what will Sam be like, assuming he survives? Truth is, they have no clue – and that scares the pants off me.

Naomi: She needs to die. Nuff’ said.

Final Thoughts: We are heading bravely forward into uncharted territory. I’m afraid for Sam, afraid for Dean, and now, after Metatron’s comments, I’m pretty darn freaked out that they’re making a mistake by closing a door that maybe wasn’t meant to be closed. Will evil souls still be able to descend into Hell? If not, where will they go? What will happen to the demons still up on earth when that Gate gets slammed? Are they trapped up here? And, most importantly, what will happen to Sam after finishing the third trial? Is “purification” necessarily a good thing? As Season Eight revs up for its epic finale, part of me is eagerly awaiting these answers…and another part of me is dreading them. And, seeing as this is Supernatural, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×16 “Remember the Titans”

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Review of Episode 8×16: “Remember the Titans”
by castiello

Strip away the demons. Peel off the angels. Dig past layers of werewolves and vampires and demigods, and what do you get? A show about two brothers, trying to save the world, and trying to save each other. At its core, Supernatural is a show about family, and whenever the writers remember that, we get an episode that’s not only worth watching, but worth talking about. “Remember the Titans” is definitely one of those episodes.

Dean: A perceptive Dean is always a good thing. Though Sam did his best to cover up some alarming physical symptoms, Dean had more than a clue that something major was off in Little Brotherville. Sam’s secretiveness at the beginning of the ep, combined with his disheartening admission near the end (“Maybe I was being too optimistic…”) gave Dean all the info he needs: Sam’s hurting, and he might not make it out of this. So, Dean did what any amazing big brother would do – he called on his own personal guardian angel to watch over his little bro. The sweetness of this scene stays with me like a sad song, stuck in my head. My heart shattered multiple times in this ep – sometimes for Sam, sometimes for Dean, and yes, at the end there, it cracked a bit for Castiel, too. When Dean said, “Where are you?” I actually howled at the screen: “He’s being tortured by a psycho angel-lady! Save him!”

As always, to see Dean praying is powerful stuff. We know he only reserves that for times of true desperation, so it speaks volumes about how concerned he is for Sam. Their conversation in the Impala ripped right through me: Sam, trying to prepare Dean for the worst. And Dean coming back with: “Oh, hell no. You promised you’d live, so no taking it back, now.” I am behind Dean two thousand percent on this one. Sam is not allowed to die. He just isn’t.

Since this was already a raw and emotional episode for Dean, I really thought he’d be drawn to the little boy, but it turned out he was more connected to the boy’s mother, Hayley. She seemed strong and capable, considering all of the weirdness she’d been exposed to, and I think she reminded Dean of Lisa. There was a definite sense of closeness between the pair of them, from Dean partnering up with her on the research detail, to him putting his arm around her at Prometheus’ funeral, and it felt natural to me. All of the guest cast members did a nice job, helping me become emotionally invested in their characters’ lives and giving the episode just that little bit of extra shine.

Another thing that made the episode sparkle: Dean’s hilarious facial expressions while Sam was talking to Artemis. Just watching the range of expressions cross Jensen’s face, from “Nice one, Sam” to “Hmmm, maybe he’s onto something” to “Crap, we’re screwed!!” was an absolute pleasure. Supernatural may be a show about family tragedy and loyalty and sacrifice, but it doesn’t work without some laugh-out-loud moments to break up the doom and gloom, and Dean always provides more than a few of those precious LOLs.

Sam: I felt for him, I really did. Trying to cover up his pain. Realizing that he’d bitten off more than any one person could chew. It was rough, watching him change his tune from a firm “I’m going to do this, and I’m going to survive!” to a faltering “Maybe I was overly optimistic…” And unfortunately, Sam does have a point: Nobody goes into the battle intending to die. And yet, it happens. Happened to Bobby, Rufus, John, Ellen, Jo, and too many other Winchesters and Winchester-allies to name. But Sam has a weapon that none of those other people had: a big brother named Dean. There’s a reason I’m a Dean-girl. I have faith in my guy. Somehow, some way, he will keep Sam breathing.

Dean wasn’t the only one showing off his skills of perception. Sam took a mighty leap of intuition and basically figured out all the important details of Artemis and Prometheus’ relationship, thereby securing Artemis’ help. Way to go, Sammy! Also, way to go on trying to make a connection with the little boy, which is usually Dean’s department. The kid may not have liked Sam’s ice cream suggestion, but at least Sam got the boy talking again, which was nice. I feel like Sam could relate to this boy because they were both a little “different.” Sam had the whole demon blood/psychic powers/Lucifer vessel thing going on, and this child was the son of an immortal. Not your average kids, by any stretch, and I think this is what drew Sam over for an attempt at interaction.

Prometheus: A sympathetic character with a compelling background. I love how this episode took me back to my AP English class and brought all of those stories to the surface again. I also love how Prometheus’ act of stealing fire for mankind was explained in a way that was very relevant to the subject matter covered on the show: namely, monsters. Without light, creatures like werewolves and vamps ran amok, terrorizing the human race unchecked. A previous episode dealing with Greek and other ancient gods (“Hammer of the Gods”) felt a bit out-of-place in the Supernatural universe. This one, because of the careful way the writers related the story to hunting and hunters, fit right in. The focus on family was strong in Prometheus’ story – his love for his son, his love for Hayley, and his sacrifices for both mankind and his child – which paralleled beautifully with Sam and Dean’s own story. It all came together, making for an emotionally engaging and cohesive episode.

Randomness: Always a pleasure to see actors enjoying their roles, and Zeus looked like he was having a blast. When the performer is really into the scene, the audience gets drawn in, too. I enjoyed every minute Zeus was on screen. And the cop at the beginning – the one who wanted to hunt zombies. He was awesome! Sam and Dean totally need to bring this guy into the fold at some point, because he’s ready (“Aim for the head!”). Hayley had a weak moment, breaking the circle like that, but I forgave her – her boy’s life and future were on the line, and her fear-driven actions were understandable. Stupid, but understandable. Absolutely loved Dean looking at the flame on the lighter, as though appreciating it for the first time. Where would the world be without fire? Where would the hunters be? No burning bones, no fire-related rituals or spells? Yikes. Also love that they continued the focus on fire by showing the funeral pyre burning. Nice, tight writing all around.

Last Thoughts: Sam will survive. Sam will survive. Sam will survive. Sam will survive. (If I keep saying it, that’ll make it come true…right?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×15 “Man’s Best Friend with Benefits”

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Review of Episode 8×15: “Man’s Best Friend with Benefits” (AKA “OMG, What’s Wrong with Sammy?!?”)
by castiello

Overall: Well, the streak had to end sometime. This ep, which explored (in possibly too much depth) the relationship between witches and their familiars, was decent but not off-the-charts great. The final five seconds were the most significant of the whole ep, and I’ll howl about those later, but first:

Sam: What happened to the conversations these guys had last week? The ones about each guy wanting to do the trials so the other one would survive? Apparently those conversations went *poof!* and the issue of who should complete God’s trials became a trust issue. Since when does Dean not trust Sam to get the job done? I would think that completing the ultimate task – the one where Sam took control of Lucifer and stopped the freakin’ apocalypse – would be good enough to earn Dean’s trust forever. Obviously, Sam is more than capable of pulling his weight when the crap is hitting the fan, and Dean should know this. Therefore, the “trust problem” raised in this ep seemed a bit contrived – like the writers really needed something for Sam and Dean to fight about during the ep, and resolve at the end. Sure, you could argue that a lot of stuff has happened since Sam stopped Lucifer, stuff that might make Dean a little hesitant to put his faith in Sammy, e.g. Sam covering up the seriousness of his mental illness in Season Seven, or Sam not looking for Dean after Dean was blasted to Purgatory (I like to just pretend Number Two didn’t happen). But bottom line: the trust argument didn’t ring true for me, and I was glad it only spanned one episode.

Sam’s reaction to the dog was cute. We know he loves pooches, so of course he’d let the dog come right in. I also really like how Sam speaks to dogs – I like his “dog voice” and I like how he talks to them as though they can understand exactly what he’s saying – which, in this case, was actually true. His nervous anticipation of Dean’s reaction was funny, and the brothers’ collective reaction to seeing the woman on the bed was priceless. There was a lot of humor in this one (Dean: “That was hot.” Sam: “It was pretty hot.” Sam: “I proud of you, Dean – twenty-four hours and not one bestiality joke.”), though some of the “funny” bordered on icky.

Dean: Is allergic to cats, apparently. I don’t remember him sneezing when that cat popped out during “Yellow Fever,” but then again, he was probably too busy shrieking like a five-year-old girl for the nasal allergies to kick in. This episode also told us loud and clear that Dean doesn’t like dogs. I wonder if this is a lifelong distaste, or something that cropped up more recently because of his experience getting mauled by a hellhound.

There may actually be some merit to Sam’s line “You can only trust you.” In some ways, Dean really is the only person who has always, without fail, been there for Dean. John dropped the ball numerous times, leaving Dean alone to care for Sam when the boys were young. Sam went off to college and has wavered in his commitment to the hunt at various points. Sam also didn’t try to find out what happened to Dean after the exploding-Dick incident, but like I said, I’m not dwelling on that part. So, you could make a case for Dean not trusting Sam to complete the tasks – but that’s not what I felt from Dean in the previous episode. I felt his emotion when he said he wanted Sam to live – and that’s all. Not “I don’t think you’re up for it,” or “I think you’re going to wuss out and go to back to college halfway through the final task.” Just “I want you to live.” Plain and simple. Truth is, Sam’s always been there when Dean really needed him to be, from showing up in the orchard in “Scarecrow,” to dragging himself back to consciousness after Cass knocked down the mental wall. And although Dean eventually came to the whole “we’re stronger together” realization after looking at some flashbacks, this is something he should have known all along.

James: So, Sam and Dean have a cop friend, who’s now a witch. In “Malleus Maleficarum,” the witches gained their power by unknowingly swearing themselves over to the Dark One. The demon in that episode told a member of her coven, “You sold yourself to me, you pig.” So, I thought that’s how witches got their powers – by calling upon dark forces and essentially making a pact with a devil. I’m not really sure how the witches in this ep got their powers, or what they were using them for (aside from James, who apparently only uses his for good), but I was a little confused at the inconsistency. Then again, we’ve seen Sam, Dean, Bobby and Henry all cast spells and perform incantations without the assistance of dark forces, so clearly magic is something that can be learned and used by anyone with the right spell book. Maybe the difference is that the witches in “Malleus Maleficarum” were using magic for their own personal gain, while Sam, Dean, James, etc only use magic for the benefit of mankind?

Portia: A really awesome dog…er, person. I was kind of uncomfortable with her wearing a collar and calling James her “Master.” She obviously has human-level intelligence. She also has strong morals and a great capacity for forming emotional bonds. All of this says to me that she – and the other familiars – should not be subordinates to their witches, but equal partners. Yet, when cat-boy (LeChat) got a “direct order” from his master, he had no choice but to obey. That is just all kinds of wrong. Another thing that’s all kinds of wrong: cropping the ears and tails of dogs. I wish this episode had used a dog with natural ears and a natural tail – not only because I disagree with cropping, but because cropping didn’t make sense with the animal-to-human transformation. I mean, I don’t know about the tail, but wouldn’t parts of her ears be missing in human form, if she’d had them cropped in canine form?

The Last Five Seconds: So, moments after Dean finally declares that he trusts Sam, Sam starts coughing up blood. My first thought: the episode isn’t over, and one of the other witches is hexing Sam. But then the episode ended, making the possibilities so much worse. It could be: A) Something terribly, physically wrong with Sam that has nothing to do with the supernatural. B) A reaction to having his dangerous hell-memories dredged up. Or C) A physical symptom having to do with the trials, which the boys foolishly started without having all the information, because they only have half a tablet. Option C is the most likely, and probably the most terrifying. My best guess for why Sam is suddenly not doing so good: the trials probably have some sort of time limit. Maybe once you start the tasks, you have to finish them within a certain time frame, or you’re screwed. Right now, Sam is screwed. And the worst part is, Dean likely isn’t going to find out for a while, which will make the situation fifty times worse.

Final Thoughts: The worst thing that could happen to Dean: something bad happening to his little brother. The worst thing that could happen to a Dean-girl: something bad happening to Dean’s little brother. Bad things are happening. My heart is a giant, beating lump in my throat.