Cons:
I did miss Jack, and I thought Sam leaving him alone with just "extra warding" was kind of silly. Dean seems to be a little more okay with the idea of the kid now, but the fact that he's willing to let Jack wander the bunker unprotected and unguarded seems kind of far-fetched. I understand the necessity in order to get the plot off the ground, but still.
The ending with Cas was absolutely amazing, but I've got to lodge a familiar complaint about this show and its excessively queer baiting ways. They're never going to do it, so they need to stop giving us moments like this. It's just pissing everybody off at this point. Don't call me a hypocrite for gushing about it later.
Pros:
The actual monster-of-the-week story is pretty basic - a ghost of an old creepy doctor is still taking fresh "patients" and killing them by performing lobotomies. Sam and Dean end up in the doctor's asylum with a bunch of ghosts of his victims through the years. Dean decides to kill himself temporarily to figure out where the ghost's bodies are, and before Sam can object, he has dosed himself and dies.
Stopping there for a moment - this episode continues the theme of grief and loss and emotional well-being. The evil ghost is taking victims with mental illness. There's a young teenage boy traumatized by the death of his friend who has gone nonverbal. Dean is still suffering from extreme grief and is undergoing unhealthy coping mechanisms. The episode does more than sub-textually remind us of Dean's grief; it goes so far as to spell it out in crystal clear detail at a later point in the episode. But the groundwork is present in the themes of the episode itself. We got quite a bit of gut-wrenching imagery, from Dean realizing he failed to save the kid, to the sight of the dead boy's mother cradling his face in her hands. We end the episode on a very hopeful note for Sam and Dean, but we're not allowed to forget all of the loss the preceded it.
Also, we have the adorable fact that Sam is trying to cheer Dean up. It's almost childishly clumsy, the way he goes about it - he gets Dean out on a case, lets him play his music, lets him take the better fake FBI agent name, suggests they go to a strip club, offers him beer with his breakfast... Dean calls him on it before too long, and Sam sheepishly admits that he's just trying to be nice. Dean gets a little annoyed, but, and this is important - he doesn't storm off or get angry or further shut down. He actually sort of allows Sam to coddle him a bit, in an indulgent sort of way. That's not to say that Dean is handling things real well - he wakes up after a bender the next morning with a massive hangover and a bra apparently left by an overnight guest. Still, it's nice to see that while Dean is in a really, really bad place, he's not necessarily following old patterns. At the very least, he's letting Sam try to help.
And then we get to the part where Dean, with no qualms or hesitation, kills himself to try and help the ghosts find their peace. This scene was absolutely great in how surreal it was. You've got Sam, who in some ways is too shocked and annoyed to be properly freaked out at first. You've got Dean who appears as a ghost, and then this poor reaper who just cracked me up - "Hello, my name is Jessica, and I'm here to lead you to your next life." Dean brushes her off, saying he's "a little busy," and Jessica just says: "Oh, God." Next thing we know, she's rushing off to inform Death that a Winchester is in the veil. I'm such a sucker for the idea of the entire supernatural world knowing who Sam and Dean are, and behaving accordingly. At this point they pretty much have automatic special treatment.
Billie is back, and she's been promoted to Death. This is kind of where I thought they were going with her character when she first showed up a few seasons back, so I've got to say I'm pretty pleased with the reappearance. The scene between her and Dean was great for so many reasons. I love that it took its time, that the two of them had ample opportunity to size each other up and suss out the complexities of the situation. Billie has changed since becoming Death. She's starting to see the inevitability and importance of the Winchester brothers, even if she doesn't necessarily like it. And she wants intel - wants to know about the alternate universe and how the rift appeared. What does Dean get in exchange? Well, he doesn't ask for his own life back - he asks for the ghosts to go free. Billie complies.
And then we get one of those Dean Winchester speeches that are always so excellently delivered by Mr. Ackles. He basically shrugs off the idea of staying dead, saying he figures that if it's his time, it's his time. He doesn't matter. He couldn't save his mother, he couldn't save Cas, he couldn't save a scared kid. Sam can't help him, and all Dean is doing is dragging him down in the muck. So... maybe it's just his time to go.
I mean... okay, Dean, you're kind of making me cry here. But also this scene is just so telling of Dean's emotional state this season. Like I said at the start of the review, we're really taking our time in developing themes and doing slow builds. Dean is messed up over Cas and Mary in a way we've never seen him messed up over anyone before, and that is textual.
Let's turn to the Destiel of it all, shall we? This entire episode acknowledges that Dean is grieving in a way quite different from Sam. They're different people, sure, but Sam's worry over Dean is an explicit indication that Sam knows Dean is in a worse place than he is. They've both lost Mary, and we can see that Sam is in some ways struggling with that even more than Dean is. But Cas? Obviously Sam is grieving for his friend, but he knows that Dean is worse off about it. Everything about this episode is framed in such a way that we see Sam worrying over Dean's grief more than experiencing grief himself. Dean pretty much declares himself suicidal. He couldn't save his mother or Cas, so what's even the point anymore? Dean is honest to Sam about how broken he's feeling - how much he just really needed a win. It's good that Dean is not shutting these feelings up, but it also sucks so bad because you know that Sam is just trying to help, and this case wasn't exactly one designed to bring a smile to Dean's face.
And. Then. They're in the impala. Sam is asleep. Dean is driving. His phone rings, waking Sam up. Dean answers it. We don't hear who's on the other end, but we see Dean's face. Great subtle acting from Jensen, and amazing light design, as his face goes from shocked and in shadow to painfully hopeful just as a light from the side of the road infuses his expression golden. The next thing we see, the boys are getting out of the car to see Castiel waiting for them by a phone booth. I promise you I'm not exaggerating or indulging in wishful thinking when I say that this scene plays like two lovers being reunited. We see Sam and Dean both briefly when they get out of the car, but then we cut to Cas, then we cut to Dean, then we cut back to Cas, then to black. They both have looks of such longing on their faces, it's almost embarrassing to write about. Last week, I talked about how Dean's declaration that he doesn't believe in anything was followed immediately by Cas showing up in the mortal realm. This week, Dean tells Sam that he needed a win, and the very next thing that happens is him getting a phone call from Cas, miraculously resurrected. There's nothing subtle about this, guys. For real.
Next week looks like a fun Western with Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack - the whole gang. All I can say is, I really hope they don't cut past the reunion. I want to see it happen in all of its glorious detail. Also Jack and Cas are going to be spending time together. This is going to be amazing.
What can I say? This season is getting me really pumped!
9/10
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