Photos
Video
'Supernatural' Back to the future
Sometimes, story issues must be tackled head on in order to progress growth, further develop an idea, or allow for a more organic understanding of the motivations behind the actions that take place. And sometimes, Supernatural wants to torture it's characters just a little bit more.
The show starts with a scene that is becoming more familiar: Sam sneaking out as Dean sleeps. Ruby picks him up and they take off. And that's all we see of them for the episode. Back inside the hotel room, Castiel wakes Dean to tell him "You have to stop it". Dean asks him to clarify what he means, but all Castiel does is touch his forehead. Next thing we know, Dean is waking up again, only this time it's on a bus stop bench with a police officer telling him he can't sleep there.
Dean tries to make a call but has no cell signal, so he stumbles across the street to a diner. Which is when we get our first clue that something is seriously amiss, since the back of the bench is advertising Sugar-Free Tab. In he diner, Dean a fellow patron where he is and finds out he's in Lawrence, Kansas. Oh, and it's 1973. And one more thing, the other patron is John Winchester. His dad.
Dean follows his dad out of the diner, but as he rounds a corner he comes face to face with Castiel, who assures him this is all real. And then he helpfully repeats "You have to stop it" before disappearing again. Dean follows John to a car dealership, where he introduces himself as Dean Van Halen and talks his dad out of buying a VW van and into a certain 1967 Chevy, and then follows him some more. To his girlfriend's house. That would be Mary, who will go on to give birth to the Winchester boys we know and love.
He follows his parents on a date, smiling as he watches them through the window of a restaurant, laughing and talking to each other. Mary excuses herself from the table and while she is gone, John nervously peers into a ring box at an engagement diamond. However, Mary wasn't going to use the bathroom. She comes up behind Dean and begins to soundly kick his butt, demanding to know why he's been following them. It's during the fight that Dean catches sight of Mary's bracelet and its collection of religious symbol charms and realizes she's a hunter.
John and Mary end their date with a chaste kiss and as she steps out of the car, Dean comes out from behind some bushes. She warns him that her dad is not easy to get along with, but Dean says he wants to meet him. His grandfather is less than interested in meeting him, however, a fact which he makes abundantly clear. Until his wife comes out and says "Knock it off Samuel." Guess who Sam was named after? And Grandma's name is Deana.
Over dinner, Dean and Samuel discuss, or rather do not discuss, whether or not they are working on cases. After a few terse exchanges, Dean says he thought something was after John Winchester. In the spirit of quid quo pro, Samuel says he is tracking something on a local farm. Dean suggests that they are after the same thing, but Samuel squashes the idea of them working together faster than Dean can actually ask. The next day, Samuel and Mary approach a farm house with him dressed as a priest. Mary goes off to talk to a fore lorn teen boy in the front yard while her father knocks on the door. When it opens, he is greeted by Dean. Dressed as a priest. The Lord works in mysterious ways?
The newly windowed woman in the house doesn't tell Dean or Samuel much, but the boy outside tells Mary plenty. Mainly about how his dad was a bit of a drunken jerk who liked to beat up his mom. He just wanted the beatings to stop, so when a stranger showed up and offered to help, he agreed. The stranger claimed not to want anything in return but said he might come back in 10 years needing something. Dean surmises that the kid inadvertently sold his soul and asks what the stranger looked like. The kid describes his a pretty average, except for his yellow eyes.
So, to review the recap: John Winchester. Yellow Eyed Demon. For reals.
Dean, of course, loses his mind. Back at his grandparents house, he tells them that they have to kill the YED and so he's going to get the Colt from the hunter who has it. Samuel doesn't even believe the colt is real and points out that even if it were, how are they going to find the YED? Well, Dean just happens to have his dad's notebook, where he recorded each YED appearance he was aware of. And he'll be appearing again in just a few days, not far from where they are.
Before leaving, Dean has a pretty wrenching talk with his mom. He tells her that she and John are meant to be and she joyfully describes his father to him, as a sweet and kind individual who will take her away from the hunting life. She talks about how she wants to have a family and feel safe, adding that the worst thing she can imagine is for her children to be raised into the life she has led. Teary eyed, Dean asks her to make him a promise, even if it sounds crazy. And then he begs her to stay in bed on November 2, 1983.
Dean goes to retrieve the colt, having another run in with Castiel in the car. Castiel points out that if Dean succeeds, all the hundreds of people they've saved will die. Dean says he knows that and care about it very much, but that he can't let his family die again. He breaks into a home and cracks a safe to get the colt with only a minor run in with its owner. He promises to get it back to him in a few days time, explaining that he needs it to save his family from being killed.
Speaking of his family, Mary asks her father what Deans plan is. When Samuel reveals to his daughter that Dean is going to attempt to kill a demon at the Walsh home in Haleyville, Mary freaks out. It seems Libby Walsh is a friend of Mary's and she demands that they go over to help. At the Walsh's, Libby is talking to a man about her father, who is apparently on death's door. The man says he can help and it won't cost anything...but he might come back in 10 years.
Which is when Samuel charges in a shoots the man. But, it's not the colt, so no dice. The YED pins Samuel to the wall while battling with Mary, whom he decides he likes, until Dean shows up. When the YED gets a glimpse of the colt, he vaporizes. After making sure Libby is OK, they all head home, with Dean demanding to talk to Samuel alone while Mary takes off with John. Back at the house, Dean lays it all out. Who he is, where he's from and that if they don't get the YED, Mary will die. Samuel takes it all rather well, considering. But he does ask to get a look at the colt. Dean declines, saying "it's nothing personal", but Samuel replies "Yes it is. Especially when you are trying to kill me". And then his eyes flash yellow. So, we've gone from bad, to worse.
The YED pins Dean to his seat and says he knows only one thing that's got the juice to bring someone through time, so Dean has friends in high places. He asks is Dean is one of his psychic kids, but quickly deduces it's Dean's sibling that has that gift. Dean asks if he is just going to use the kids to lead his demon army, a claim the YED scoffs at while refusing to reveal his true motives. Dean tells the demon that he is the one who will kill him but the YED decides to take action first, plunging a knife into Samuel's gut. Which is when Deana screams from where she was trying to sneak up and reach the colt. A moment later, the YED has snapped her neck and disappeared.
In a secluded parking spot, John is about to ask Mary to be his wife when her dad pulls her out of the car. John gets out and tries to talk sense to who he thinks may be his future father in law and he gets his neck snapped for the trouble. Mary cries "You killed him!" only to receive the answer "Not just John, sweetie pie. Mommy and daddy too". The YED reveals the blood soaking his shirt and flashes his eyes at her. She promises to kill him, but he offers her a deal. He'll bring back John and not allow any monsters to after her if she promises to let him come visit in 10 years. Otherwise, she can spend the rest of her life alone and hunted. Dean drives up to see Mary kissing the YED, sealing the deal.
He jumps out of the car just in time for the YED to go up in smoke, leaving Samuel's lifeless body behind as John gasps his first revived breath. Castiel appears at his side and a moment later, they are gone, with Dean waking up back in the hotel room. Which is when Castiel reveals that he never had a chance of saving his family, but now he knows everything they know. Man, couldn't he have just told Dean rather than having him witness his grandparents deaths?
Castiel looks over at the empty bed and Dean asks where Sam is. Castiel replies that they know what the YED did to Sam, but they don't know why. He gives Dean an address and ominously tells him that his brother is headed down a dangerous road and they are not sure where it leads. He then charges Dean with stopping Sam, adding "or we will".
There really wasn't a whole lot of funny this week, Van Halen and Delorian jokes aside. But there was more than enough angst and anger to go around. What did you think of Castiel's manipulation of time? Useful object lesson or celestial cruelty? I mean, come on, the guy did just get back from hell!
while its true that castiel could have just told dean, its a tv show and for that reason i think thats why dean went through all that despite not being able to affect anything.
i loved this episode simply because of the revelations. all this time we thought that dean and sam's mom was an innocent bystander in those whole demon thing and it turns out that she was the hunter and she was the one who got the winchesters into the family business. it was also her mistake and her decision that made sam be one of those "psychic" kids. i was actually pretty shocked that she also made a deal with YED.
i really like where this show is going...
joits | Oct 3, 2008 12:29:47 AM | #I liked the fact that Castiel showed Dean. Towards the end, when Castiel showed up to take Dean back, he looked authentically sorry for having to show him those things.
Which makes me wonder if Castiel is just following orders from another angel or God.
But I think it was also nescarry. Kinda of a swift kick in the ass to Dean. Somewhat showing what did happen to Sam, that way Dean wouldn't badger Castiel with questions, but also to make Dean even more motivated in a way to save Sam.
Either way it made for good TV, and made me love the Castiel character even more for his complexity.
Mitch Pileggi was probably my favorite part of the episode though. Loved his performance of the YED. Perfect.
Leina | Oct 3, 2008 2:06:35 AM | #This season of SN has been amazing!!! I thought this was a fabulous episode, and my eyes were teary when Dean was telling his mother to stay in bed on the night YED comes calling. Wow --- heartwrenching stuff.
I know a lot of people will be upset that Sam was only in the episode for a minute or two, but the episode was so well-paced and so captivating that I didn't really realize he was missing and we hadn't seen him until the episode was over.
What a great mythology episode! This show is so much better than anything else on the CW these days. Well done!!!
Amy | Oct 3, 2008 5:20:31 AM | #This was a great episode and wow does Jensen pull no stops. The guy is just fantastic. Mitch Pileggi was great and so was the girl who played Mary. All in all a well rounded cast that made this episode one of the best of the series.
But I think you missed one big point. Dean has to stop Sam if Sam keeps going the path he's going, yes, but that's not Dean's only job. Dean needs to find out what the YED's big plan is. Killing or stopping Sam will stop Sam, but may not stop the big plan and Dean needs to find out what it is in order for the angels to put an end to YED's plans.
I really like that. Both brothers are crucial because of a choice that Mary made, which, well if she didn't, we wouldn't have had the Winchester brothers. :D
hermit | Oct 3, 2008 5:31:30 AM | #Absolutely perfect episode! I pretty much confirmed my theory that Sam is going down the path of the dark side and Dean has been brought back to stop him. It was really a heart-wrenching show with some great twists I didn't see coming, but it manages to tie in perfectly with the pilot only now we have a new twist on the story. We know how/why the YED knew their Mom and now the only thing i wonder is did John ever find out that Mary was a hunter?
steve | Oct 3, 2008 6:23:55 AM | #steve: my guess is that when he saw how she was killed (on the celling all bloody and firey like) he researched it and junk and boom! pulls up web pages on deamons and all that jazz. the restis history! i'm so pissed I missed this epp. and last week's. and i have to miss next week's too. suck. looks like I'm buying the season on dvd then. sounded awesome, though! be thankful for what you have, viewers!
vicious circle | Oct 3, 2008 7:46:23 AM | #Missed episodes can be watched on CWTV.com if anyone is interested.
The great thing about this show is that it never feels thrown together. Eric Kripke seems to have mapped out the path the boys are taking well in advance. We knew from before that Mary knew YED and it all fits so perfectly with what is going on this season. As much as I hate the fact that he has mapped out a five year only plan for the show, it really does raise this show above all others.
Kathy B. | Oct 3, 2008 9:33:34 AM | #There was so much WOW!!! to this episode I was still thinking about it hours later. So many pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place with this episode. And it still left me hanging because now I wonder what Sam is up to! Great season so far.
DaisyRose | Oct 3, 2008 9:58:52 AM | #I loved the episode, but I was a little disappointed that Mary's involvement wasn't more sinister. Last season, when Sam began to find clues that his mom was known to the demons and that all her friends and family were dead, it seemed that Mary was evil. Bravo to Kripke and Co. for keeping the secret so well.
Jen | Oct 3, 2008 10:33:18 AM | #It was so interesting that Mary was a hunter and that she wanted to have a family of her own away from all that. It makes it even more depressing that her deal caused them to be involved anyway. I love that Dean and Sam are named after Mary's parents.
I loved the the dinner scene with Dean, Mary and his grandparents. Hunter one-upmanship was funny. Another scene I liked was Dean talking to John in the diner. Back to the Future flashbacks quickly came to me, so when Dean mentioned the Delorean to Casteil I cheered.
The new clues to the Winchesters backstory and family history are very interesting. I love that Supernatural actually gives us answers to questions instead of just adding more questions like other series.
Penny | Oct 3, 2008 10:57:03 AM | #I thought the episode was amazing. I really liked how everything tied together and the acting was really good especially by Jensen Ackles & the guy who played grandpa Sam. To be honest as much as I like Sam I didn't really miss him very much in this episode.
Dory | Oct 3, 2008 11:14:18 AM | #One of the best episodes in the series since it's inception! Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Only flaw I noticed (and being a car enthusiast)concerned the car Dean used in this episode. The year, according to the newspaper viewed in the diner was 1973. Why was Dean driving a 1979 Ford Pinto with the square design headlamps, which were first used in 1979? (1971-1978 Pintos used round headlamps.)
Fury3
How many times was my heart broken in this brilliant, well-acted, spell-binding ep?
When Sam snuck out of yet another motel room to meet and drive off God-knows-where with Ruby, leaving Dean alone?
When Dean talked his Dad into buying the Impala instead of the Volkswagon van? (Ugh, can you imagine Sam and Dean driving around the country in THAT?)
When Dean had to defend himself against a very well-trained Mary, who kicked his ass six ways from Sunday? He pinned her, spotted a bracelet on her wrist and realized--my mother was a hunter!
When Dean had dinner with his mother and grandparents (who he apparently never even met, given that the YED killed them, too), and learned his maternal grandfather was a hard-ass who said "son-of-a-bitch" all the time?
When Mary told Dean she would never want the life of a hunter for her own children because she hated it so much and craved normal (shades of her youngest son, who tried to find his own normal when he went to Stanford, only to have it brutally snatched away when the YED murdered Jess)?
When Dean, with tears in his eyes, begged her not to get out of bed on November 2nd, 1983, no matter what she heard? (Yes, I was crying at this point, a tissue pressed to my leaking nose.)
When the YED murdered Mary's parents, and John, leaving her completely alone, forcing her to make a hideous deal (and how vague was that deal--"not to interrupt" what he would be doing in 10 years)? How the hell was she to know what she wasn't supposed to interrupt, or that it would involve her youngest child?
When Dean drove up in that dreadful Pinto and found his grandfather's meat suit bestowing the "deal" kiss on his mother? (An ewwwww moment; that was her dad.)
When Castiel returned with Dean to the present and told him that he had to stop what was going to happen with the absent Sam--or THEY would! Castiel had also told him that Sam wasn't searching for Dean while he was busy in the past, and gave him an address where to find his brother. WHAT IS SAM DOING, BESIDES GOING EEEEEVIL? And is he aware of the road he's heading down, or oblivious to it?
What puzzles me is how Mary explained to John what happened. Sam was dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted knife would after attacking John. Deanna, too, was dead, neck broken, in a house a few miles away.
And why, after this terrible tragedy, did the Winchesters choose to move back to Lawrence to live and raise their kids? If I'd been Mary, craving a normal life, I would have moved far away from where these horrors had taken place.
The initial scene with Dean and John, where a guy enters the diner, calls, "Hey, Winchester!" and both Dean and John turn around, paid homage to the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies. Dean also mentioned a Delorean to Castiel, the funky car that transported everyone back and forth in those flicks. Star Trek ref, FTW, and Dean mentioned Sonny and Cher splitting up!
It killed me to realize Mary lost her parents AND John to the YED, and he took her life, too. It just took a few more years for Azazel to catch up to Dean and Sam's parents. Hunting gets Campells killed, and by extension, Winchesters. Mary told Dean she could never see John as a hunter, another heart-breaking moment. Sigh. There were so many in this powerful ep.
By the way, now we know where Sam and Dean's names came from (Dean was named after his maternal grandmother--a girl)! I do wonder what happened to John's parents--perhaps their names were used as the boys' middle names.
Now we (and Dean) know the Yellow-Eyed Demon/Mary connection. She was a hunter, the YED took a fancy to her. This put her entire family, present and future, on his radar. His BIG plan, which he refused to reveal to Dean, and which has been passed down for someone else to put into motion, apparently involves Sam somehow. Castiel told Dean HE has to stop it--or THEY will.
What does all this mean? Devil Sam vs. Angel Dean? I don't know. That scares me, because the core of SUPERNATURAL is the boys' love and unbreakable connection to each other.
If anything happens to that, Mary and John Winchester, along with Sam and Deanna Campbell, are going to be rolling in their graves--or perhaps rising from them.
Robin
I don't know if I trust that
Castiel. Maybe he is going to turn out to be evil. I can't imagine if he were good that he would injure that one psychic in the first episode
I think my fav line was when Dean was watching his parents date, and he was self-talking to Sam and said, "Mom is Hot!" then he said.."I'm going to hell" pause.."again"....I thought that was hilarious!!!
Man I LOVE this show...each show in itself is a full story, but there is a continuation that makes it EXTREMELY hard to wait a whole week to see the next episode...the writing is incredible and being able to be challenged, entertained and watched that HOT HOT HOT Jensen....hell this show has it ALL!!!
Dean Van Halen. LOVED IT! And Im thinking the actress who played Mary reminded me of the same girl who played Darla in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
SIS | Oct 3, 2008 2:33:07 PM | #This was EASILY the best episode since the premiere. I remember watching the premiere and when it said to turn off the lights, my immediate thought was SCREW YOU! My husband came home from a business meeting and I told him to turn off the lights and watch the first five min and the last five min.
I loved this episode. Who wants to bet that YED gave Ruby his plan?
Object lesson or celestial cruelty? A little bit of both probably. Given the time travel implications, Dean bears a rather ominous responsibility for his family's destiny - if he was there all along! If so, Castiel's intentions aren't all that clear given his role as the catalyst for these events.
lostinspace | Oct 3, 2008 7:06:50 PM | #Supernatural is becoming a worthy successor to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show. I've been a big Supernatural fan since it's inception, and have been thrilled to see it's strong advance year to year. This particular episode was fantastic, easily one of the show's 10 best. I loved the history, and the surprise reveal of Dean's mother being a hunter. As a side note, I have top also commend Jensen Ackles, who continues to impress me with his acting. When he's allowed to soften his edges, and back-seat the bellicose behavior, he can be truly tender, such as in the scene where he begs Mary not to get out of bed on that future, fateful night.
Wes | Oct 3, 2008 7:56:17 PM | #I meant, "to commend", not, "top commend".
Wes | Oct 3, 2008 7:59:00 PM | #Supernatural keeps surpassing itself, raising the bar each season. It's an incredible show. This episode was stellar and like someone else already said, I'm so happy that the show is answering questions while presenting new ones, instead of just swamping the viewers with more and more questions and mysteries that never get answered, (like on LOST).
I didn't mess Sam one bit in this episode. More DEAN and CASTIEL, please!!! It's abundantly clear that Sam is headed down the path of evil, creating a super duper showdown between the Winchester boys.
The funny thing so far this season is that it has been Sam who is the one who has been acting weird and detached, not Dean, despite the fact that Dean is the one who spent four months in hell!
Really enjoying this season so far and I can't wait to see what happens next!
IggyPop | Oct 4, 2008 1:47:43 AM | #Oops, typo there...I meant to say that I didn't MISS Sam in this episode.
IggyPop | Oct 4, 2008 1:49:07 AM | #I thought I was the only one who was wondering if this show (so far this season) could get any better. The writing and the addition of Castiel is amazing. What an interesting turn of events. Maybe the writers' strike gave this show a chance to really re-invent itself and come up with some intricate plots and some incredible drama. So far, I've been nothing but pleased.
Isis | Oct 4, 2008 2:19:05 AM | #LISA- In response to what Castiel did to the psychic, remember how he explained to Dean (I'm paraphrasing) that not everyone is capable of receiving him in his purest or fullest form. He even went so far as to say that most can't even handle the sound of his voice and it's fullest. What I find really interesting about him is that he was surprised to realize that Dean didn't think of himself as worth saving. :)
Isis | Oct 4, 2008 2:25:18 AM | #lisa: also, God says psycics are evil so an angel wouldn't mind cinging one's eyeballs out! i hope she learned her lesson
vicious circle | Oct 4, 2008 8:44:06 AM | #
Zap2it Twitter Talk
