Yikes. You know, this episode didn't tell me anything new about the plot or the characters, and yet I still thought it was one of the best episodes in a season full of surprisingly great installments. Let's dive right in.
Cons:
But I guess I will admit it would have been nice to have a bit more of a tie-in to the A-plot. They mention Cas once, very briefly, but nobody says anything about Amara, or even Crowley. He's been completely out of the picture for a while now... wouldn't the boys be curious about where he is? It's a small nitpick, but if an episode doesn't move the story forward in terms of plot or character, it does become noticeable.
Pros:
First of all, I want to compliment this episode for its "Then" section. Supernatural really has a gift with "previously on" stuff, and I love the way they always turn it in to something more special than just straight up showing clips from previous episodes. The montage of Dean being willing to do crazy things to save Sam, and then the montage of both of them dying again and again were particularly great.
There really isn't a typical Monster-of-the-Week set up here. We don't spend the episode worrying about the mystery of the creature, interviewing various witnesses, etc. No - it's a werewolf case, plain and simple. Sam and Dean go in, do what they can to defeat the werewolves and save the captives... and Sam gets shot in the process. The rest of the episode is just trying to save Sam, and then when Dean thinks Sam is dead, dealing with Corbin, one of the victims, who starts turning into a werewolf. Dean does some crazy stuff to try and bring Sam back from the dead, but it turns out Sam isn't dead. He kicks some werewolf ass, gets back to Dean, and the Winchesters live to fight another day. I liked this mix-up, where we dive straight into the action and don't even bother with an establishing cold open. In fact, the cold open is Sam getting shot! Bam, right into the action.
Obviously, the main thing to talk about here is Sam and Dean and their serious badassery and issues of codependency, but I want to mention a couple of other details first.
Corbin and Michelle were both really solid guest characters. Michelle was scared and injured and weak for a lot of the episode, but when she realized that her husband had killed Sam, she didn't hesitate in turning away from him and doing what she could to help Dean. She is the one who helps Dean get the drugs he needs to overdose so he can talk to Billie the Reaper, and she's the one who helps save him when he collapses. She's also the one who helps him escape the hospital. Then there's Corbin, who I want to hate without reservation because he tried to kill Sam, but at the same time I understand it. Here's a person who is trying to do everything he can to save his wife. Sam was seriously injured by the gunshot wound, and Corbin could see that Dean would never leave him behind. And if they didn't leave him behind... they were going to get caught. It was a brutal decision, but not a completely evil one. His transformation into a werewolf was pretty tragic, especially since we were just reminded in the "previously on" section that werewolves don't have to be totally murderous monsters. But Corbin didn't have the resources to control himself, and he let the monster take over. It was tragic to watch a human who genuinely loved his wife with all his heart turn into a creature willing to kill just because it made him feel good. He still retained his love for Michelle though, up until the bitter end.
Another awesome detail about this episode is that Dean is super grumpy during the beginning parts of this story. He didn't want to go on this werewolf case in the first place, since he's focused on a bigger project: saving Cas. I adore the fact that Amara wasn't so much as mentioned here. When Sam and Dean are doing their research in the bunker at the start of the episode, Sam sees that Dean is in a bad mood and deduces the reason for it immediately, saying "we'll get him back." Dean's grumpiness continues until Sam gets shot and he has bigger things to worry about, but I love the fact that we can see how Dean's worry for Cas is affecting him. Then there's the conversation between Dean and Michelle at the end of the episode, where she talks about how devastating it is to lose the man you love right in front of you. Cue super long close-up on Dean's face. Um... is somebody perhaps thinking about a certain possessed angel?
Then there's Billie. She is so cool. I mean I want to hate her because she wants Sam and Dean dead, but honestly I'm sort of on her side in a strangely pragmatic way. Sam and Dean are a freakin' menace. I love the fact that she messes with Dean a little bit, asking him why he committed suicide when that goes against his martyr complex. Only one thing could drive Dean to such extremes, as we know: Sam. Billie keeps him on the hook for a while, too, which was pretty cruel - she lets Dean beg for Sam's life before she reveals that Sam isn't really dead. I love the fact that, even though it's obviously the doctor who saves Dean's life, he also seems to be willing to return to his own body only after he learns that Sam is alive. Billie is a pretty awesome character, and of course it helps that she's gorgeous. I can't wait to see more of her.
Now we turn to the main thing I got out of this episode: Sam is a BADASS. He gets shot, but even as he's bleeding copiously from an abdomen wound, he's worried about the other victims of the werewolves. He puts on a brave face, encourages Corbin and Michelle to leave him and get to safety, and then, when he wakes up after going into shock due to Corbin's near-strangling act, he gets up, kills two werewolves, drives back to the impala where he has cell service, and calls Dean to warn him that Corbin was bitten by a werewolf. Then, he manages to make it to the hospital in time to save Dean from Corbin. God, Sam is the most hardcore person ever. The thing is, this doesn't annoy me at all. Maybe it's ridiculously unrealistic that somebody could withstand that kind of pain and blood loss and yet still keep going. Maybe it's silly to the point of shark-jumping that Sam was able to take out two able-bodied and intelligent werewolves in his terrible condition. But honestly, if there's anybody in the world who could pull something like this off, it would be Sam Winchester. I feel that after over a decade of knowing this character, any ridiculous badassery they feel like showing us is totally justified. Of course Sam is strong enough to prevail. He's so cool!
Now we turn to the main thing I got out of this episode: Sam is a BADASS. He gets shot, but even as he's bleeding copiously from an abdomen wound, he's worried about the other victims of the werewolves. He puts on a brave face, encourages Corbin and Michelle to leave him and get to safety, and then, when he wakes up after going into shock due to Corbin's near-strangling act, he gets up, kills two werewolves, drives back to the impala where he has cell service, and calls Dean to warn him that Corbin was bitten by a werewolf. Then, he manages to make it to the hospital in time to save Dean from Corbin. God, Sam is the most hardcore person ever. The thing is, this doesn't annoy me at all. Maybe it's ridiculously unrealistic that somebody could withstand that kind of pain and blood loss and yet still keep going. Maybe it's silly to the point of shark-jumping that Sam was able to take out two able-bodied and intelligent werewolves in his terrible condition. But honestly, if there's anybody in the world who could pull something like this off, it would be Sam Winchester. I feel that after over a decade of knowing this character, any ridiculous badassery they feel like showing us is totally justified. Of course Sam is strong enough to prevail. He's so cool!
In contrast, Dean is a total fall-down mess for most of this episode, and I loved it. At first, when Sam is shot Dean totally keeps his cool, digging the bullet out and making jokes about keeping it as a souvenir. Jensen's acting was on point here, as we can see his low-level panic underneath his encouraging outward demeanor. The more things go on, and the more desperate their situation seems, the more Dean starts to crack under the pressure. There's a scene where Corbin says that the three of them (Corbin, Michelle, and Dean) should keep moving, and that Sam is slowing them down. Dean actually shoves the guy, absolutely livid that Corbin would suggest leaving Sam behind. When he's outside collecting wood to make a litter to carry Sam, he has a small breakdown fueled by fear and desperation.
And then he gets back, and Sam appears to be dead. Again, Jensen is a marvel. He doesn't have to do much, and we all know exactly how broken he is. That moment when he shakes Sam and says "Sammy?" in a small little voice, trying to wake him up... it's crushing. You can see the moment when he just shuts down, and goes from disbelieving grief to I'm-dead-inside. He wants to fight the coming werewolves, even if it's basically akin to suicide - what does he care? Only the sight of Corbin and Michelle stops him from trying to go out in a blaze of grief-fueled glory. I really think that Dean, in the back of his head, was already making contingency plans while he was helping Corbin and Michelle escape. He's in denial - he keeps talking about how he needs to get back to his brother, because despite the fact he believes Sam to be dead, he can't let himself really process the information. If that park ranger hadn't gotten in the way and ended up tasering him, I firmly believe he would have gone back to Sam and started working on how to bargain with somebody to bring him back.
And then there's the fact that Dean actually overdoses on purpose so that he can talk to Billie and make a deal to bring Sam back. You can't tell me that he would have minded if he'd stayed dead, especially if the bargaining hadn't worked. He knew going in that his plan only had the tiniest, slimmest possibility of working, and I honestly think he didn't care. If Sam had to stay dead, Dean would rather die himself. He begs Billie to take him instead, which... well, ouch. It's not a surprise or anything, but it still gave me all sorts of feelings. When Dean gets out of the hospital, he goes to try and call Sam, but Sam, who has just escaped back to the car, calls him at that exact moment. Dean picks up, and when he hears Sam's voice, he has a visceral reaction of intense relief. His head bows down and he says "Oh God" in this quiet breathy sort of voice that was just so heartbreaking to hear.
As the episode ends, Sam asks Dean what he did when he believed Sam to be dead. Dean brushes it off with a joke, and when Sam presses, Dean lies and says that he knew Sam wasn't dead. I don't think Sam is buying that for a second, but he lets it go. I'm annoyed at Dean for hiding things from Sam, but I get why he did it. I can't imagine it would be easy to be so emotionally vulnerable in a situation like this. What is Dean supposed to say? "I thought you were dead and I went out of my mind with grief and basically committed suicide"? I just can't see that going down well. One of the most important things about this episode is that it emphasizes in no uncertain terms that we've still got some serious codependency issues to work out here. Yeesh.
This episode was so much better than I would have expected. It was filled with such glorious angst for Dean and such intense badassery for Sam. It had some great guest characters and some legitimately threatening bad guys. I can't wait for the A-plot to swoop back in, but for now I'm as happy as can be!
9/10
And then he gets back, and Sam appears to be dead. Again, Jensen is a marvel. He doesn't have to do much, and we all know exactly how broken he is. That moment when he shakes Sam and says "Sammy?" in a small little voice, trying to wake him up... it's crushing. You can see the moment when he just shuts down, and goes from disbelieving grief to I'm-dead-inside. He wants to fight the coming werewolves, even if it's basically akin to suicide - what does he care? Only the sight of Corbin and Michelle stops him from trying to go out in a blaze of grief-fueled glory. I really think that Dean, in the back of his head, was already making contingency plans while he was helping Corbin and Michelle escape. He's in denial - he keeps talking about how he needs to get back to his brother, because despite the fact he believes Sam to be dead, he can't let himself really process the information. If that park ranger hadn't gotten in the way and ended up tasering him, I firmly believe he would have gone back to Sam and started working on how to bargain with somebody to bring him back.
And then there's the fact that Dean actually overdoses on purpose so that he can talk to Billie and make a deal to bring Sam back. You can't tell me that he would have minded if he'd stayed dead, especially if the bargaining hadn't worked. He knew going in that his plan only had the tiniest, slimmest possibility of working, and I honestly think he didn't care. If Sam had to stay dead, Dean would rather die himself. He begs Billie to take him instead, which... well, ouch. It's not a surprise or anything, but it still gave me all sorts of feelings. When Dean gets out of the hospital, he goes to try and call Sam, but Sam, who has just escaped back to the car, calls him at that exact moment. Dean picks up, and when he hears Sam's voice, he has a visceral reaction of intense relief. His head bows down and he says "Oh God" in this quiet breathy sort of voice that was just so heartbreaking to hear.
As the episode ends, Sam asks Dean what he did when he believed Sam to be dead. Dean brushes it off with a joke, and when Sam presses, Dean lies and says that he knew Sam wasn't dead. I don't think Sam is buying that for a second, but he lets it go. I'm annoyed at Dean for hiding things from Sam, but I get why he did it. I can't imagine it would be easy to be so emotionally vulnerable in a situation like this. What is Dean supposed to say? "I thought you were dead and I went out of my mind with grief and basically committed suicide"? I just can't see that going down well. One of the most important things about this episode is that it emphasizes in no uncertain terms that we've still got some serious codependency issues to work out here. Yeesh.
This episode was so much better than I would have expected. It was filled with such glorious angst for Dean and such intense badassery for Sam. It had some great guest characters and some legitimately threatening bad guys. I can't wait for the A-plot to swoop back in, but for now I'm as happy as can be!
9/10
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