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Ouch.
I'm not sure what to think. Between the hallucinatory characters and the characters who were lying, I'm not sure how much of what was laid out in this episode was true.
For starters, Castiel said that Sam could possibly defeat Lilith but only if he drank enough demon blood to permanently turn him into a demon. You'd think that Cass would be against that, yet he let Sam loose to do that very thing because he was "ordered" to. We know from previous episodes that only a few angels have supposedly seen God, so I'm going to guess that Castiel's orders came from another angel. The question is, whose side was that angel on? Uriel had allies who wanted Lucifer to rise. And if it was an angel on God's side, why would the angels want Sam to turn? Unless getting Sam to turn would leave Dean without the one thing he values most (his family), setting the angels up to become Dean's new replacement family. Which, if the angels were on the side of God, would be doable, but what if they're not? Wouldn't it be something if Dean were unknowingly working for Uriel's allies?
On the other hand, it's entirely possible that Castiel wasn't ordered to do any such thing. With the way he's been acting after his "ass-reaming" in heaven, it's hard to tell the things he's doing to serve his own agenda from the things he has to do so no one suspects what he's up to. He never would have turned Anna in before. So how much of what he said tonight was true and how much was to manipulate Dean? I don't think he's joined Uriel's team, but I do think he has a plan that only he knows about and he's trying to keep it that way. Having Dean pledge himself to God and His angels gave me goosebumps. It reminded me too much of when Dean traded his soul to the crossroads demon for Sam. I have a feeling that pledge isn't going to work out all for the good.
Meanwhile, I'm very sorry Dean didn't succeed in killing Ruby. I didn't believe her when she said she didn't know what the demon blood would do to Sam. She was also happy to see his appetite increasing and made it sound like a good thing ("You're getting stronger"). Could we finally be seeing what Ruby's agenda has been all along--to turn Sam?
Sam's withdrawal hallucinations were an interesting peek into a really screwed up psyche. Most of his hallucinations were berating him or punishing him for how far he'd fallen, but HalluciMom said he was just being practical. Where did that come from? Sam certainly didn't look like he expected her to say that even though that's what he's been telling himself, while the things the other hallucinations said were painful but not a surprise. It's just sad to see that Sam thinks he really is a monster and that Dean is only pretending to love him because they're brothers. Could that be why Sam has never really responded to affection from Bobby? Either he doesn't think it could be real, or he doesn't think he deserves it because he's a monster?
Dean calling Sam a monster certainly caused Sam to snap and hit Dean in anger for the first time. He's never fought back against Dean before, no matter what Dean said or how many times Dean punched him. Sam spent that whole scene parroting what HalluciMom said, only to have the real Dean say the same things as HalluciDean. Ouch.
I just can't believe Dean gave Sam an ultimatum like that. Did he learn nothing from John telling Sam not to come back if he left for Stanford? I know Dean was just desperate to hang onto his brother, but Sam has never responded well to ultimatums. Playing the 'if you walk out that door, don't come back' card was pretty much the equivalent of shoving Sam right out the door.
The only light at the end of the tunnel here is that Dean still loves Sam enough to do pretty much anything for him, and when the demon blood influence on Sam was weaker, he still loved Dean and wanted to make things right between them.
Hopefully next week we'll finally find out whose true agenda is what. I just don't want a season five with Angel!Dean and Castiel riding around in the Impala battling Demon!Sam. Obviously, the boys have a long way to go to mend their relationship and I don't want it handwaved in one Very Special Episode™, but I don't want another season of further fracturing either.
This show is going to give me an ulcer.
I'm not sure what to think. Between the hallucinatory characters and the characters who were lying, I'm not sure how much of what was laid out in this episode was true.
For starters, Castiel said that Sam could possibly defeat Lilith but only if he drank enough demon blood to permanently turn him into a demon. You'd think that Cass would be against that, yet he let Sam loose to do that very thing because he was "ordered" to. We know from previous episodes that only a few angels have supposedly seen God, so I'm going to guess that Castiel's orders came from another angel. The question is, whose side was that angel on? Uriel had allies who wanted Lucifer to rise. And if it was an angel on God's side, why would the angels want Sam to turn? Unless getting Sam to turn would leave Dean without the one thing he values most (his family), setting the angels up to become Dean's new replacement family. Which, if the angels were on the side of God, would be doable, but what if they're not? Wouldn't it be something if Dean were unknowingly working for Uriel's allies?
On the other hand, it's entirely possible that Castiel wasn't ordered to do any such thing. With the way he's been acting after his "ass-reaming" in heaven, it's hard to tell the things he's doing to serve his own agenda from the things he has to do so no one suspects what he's up to. He never would have turned Anna in before. So how much of what he said tonight was true and how much was to manipulate Dean? I don't think he's joined Uriel's team, but I do think he has a plan that only he knows about and he's trying to keep it that way. Having Dean pledge himself to God and His angels gave me goosebumps. It reminded me too much of when Dean traded his soul to the crossroads demon for Sam. I have a feeling that pledge isn't going to work out all for the good.
Meanwhile, I'm very sorry Dean didn't succeed in killing Ruby. I didn't believe her when she said she didn't know what the demon blood would do to Sam. She was also happy to see his appetite increasing and made it sound like a good thing ("You're getting stronger"). Could we finally be seeing what Ruby's agenda has been all along--to turn Sam?
Sam's withdrawal hallucinations were an interesting peek into a really screwed up psyche. Most of his hallucinations were berating him or punishing him for how far he'd fallen, but HalluciMom said he was just being practical. Where did that come from? Sam certainly didn't look like he expected her to say that even though that's what he's been telling himself, while the things the other hallucinations said were painful but not a surprise. It's just sad to see that Sam thinks he really is a monster and that Dean is only pretending to love him because they're brothers. Could that be why Sam has never really responded to affection from Bobby? Either he doesn't think it could be real, or he doesn't think he deserves it because he's a monster?
Dean calling Sam a monster certainly caused Sam to snap and hit Dean in anger for the first time. He's never fought back against Dean before, no matter what Dean said or how many times Dean punched him. Sam spent that whole scene parroting what HalluciMom said, only to have the real Dean say the same things as HalluciDean. Ouch.
I just can't believe Dean gave Sam an ultimatum like that. Did he learn nothing from John telling Sam not to come back if he left for Stanford? I know Dean was just desperate to hang onto his brother, but Sam has never responded well to ultimatums. Playing the 'if you walk out that door, don't come back' card was pretty much the equivalent of shoving Sam right out the door.
The only light at the end of the tunnel here is that Dean still loves Sam enough to do pretty much anything for him, and when the demon blood influence on Sam was weaker, he still loved Dean and wanted to make things right between them.
Hopefully next week we'll finally find out whose true agenda is what. I just don't want a season five with Angel!Dean and Castiel riding around in the Impala battling Demon!Sam. Obviously, the boys have a long way to go to mend their relationship and I don't want it handwaved in one Very Special Episode™, but I don't want another season of further fracturing either.
This show is going to give me an ulcer.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-08 05:56 am (UTC)From:John said it simply because Sam wanted to go to college. Dean said it after Sam tried to KILL him. Hopped up on demon blood or not, Sam tried to kill him. That's the sort of thing that for most people is a total deal breaker.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 12:12 am (UTC)From:It's not so much the events that prompted the words as the reason behind them that are the same. Both John and Dean didn't want Sam going off somewhere where they could no longer protect him. Unfortunately, Sam has a knee-jerk contrarian streak when it comes to ultimatums.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-08 06:58 am (UTC)From:I'm with you on what you're wanting to come in S5, too. I'm not worried about angel!Dean and Castiel being too close, though, or that there will be too much Cas...I've been kind of reassured on that score by some of Misha's interviews, where he's said some pretty emphatic stuff about how the story is about Sam and Dean and how he (Castiel) is only there to further that story. Paraphrasing badly, but you get the gist. I think the writers will be careful how they use him. *crosses fingers*
And yeah, I think this show is going to give me an ulcer, too!
no subject
Date: 2009-05-08 11:51 pm (UTC)From:I know the writers have always emphasized that the show is about Sam and Dean, but after the way this season has gone, I'm no longer confident that their idea of the show being about Sam and Dean is the same as mine. Not that they're obligated to cater to my every whim or anything, but I also can't promise to like every creative decision they make. The best I can hope for now is for the good to continue to outweigh the bad.
But I still want my brothers back.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-08 03:41 pm (UTC)From:1) Zachariah is Castiel's boss, so maybe the order came from him. There's been speculation that Zachariah may be one of Uriel's converts.
2) Castiel said Dean has to stop the apocalypse/66th seal. If Sam is the 66th seal, he had to be let loose so that Dean could stop him. (Dang, it made sense when it was still in my mind.)
no subject
Date: 2009-05-08 11:41 pm (UTC)From:I think I know what you mean. I've been thinking that the 66th seal might have something to do with one of the boys killing the other either to break it or stop it from breaking.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 05:59 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 08:17 pm (UTC)From:I guess that's where the Sam vs. Dean fight could come in. Sam wants to kill Lilith, not realizing he'd be breaking the final seal by doing so. If the angels tell Dean that killing Lilith would break the final seal, then Dean would have to stop Sam from killing her, which Sam might not agree with. Cue cliffhanger.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-10 12:59 am (UTC)From:Though for all we know the angels are in favor of the End of Days and ready to start fighting and slaying anything that moves, humanity included.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-10 03:01 am (UTC)From:Well, we know some of them are. Uriel was, and he'd managed to recruit some other like-minded angels before he died. I've been wondering what they've been up to ever since.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 06:36 am (UTC)From:"I just can't believe Dean gave Sam an ultimatum like that. Did he learn nothing from John telling Sam not to come back if he left for Stanford? I know Dean was just desperate to hang onto his brother, but Sam has never responded well to ultimatums. Playing the 'if you walk out that door, don't come back' card was pretty much the equivalent of shoving Sam right out the door."
YES YES YES!!! I believe I may have shouted that very thing at the t.v. I mean, come on Dean! You knows how well it worked when Dad said it, why on earth would you say it too????
I hate to say it, but I think that the thing the Angels are going to ask of Dean is that he kill Sam, after Sam turns because of the final battle with Lilith. And of course, Dean will refuse, but I do see Sam and Dean still on separate paths at the end of this season. And we'll have to sit chewing our nails the whole darn summer before we learn how they eventually get back together.
Damn you Kripke, you're killin me! ;)
-Samazon
no subject
Date: 2009-05-09 08:21 pm (UTC)From:That's what I'm afraid of too. I just don't think Dean's pledge to Castiel is going to work out well.