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'Supernatural' Heaven vs hell. Porn vs reality.
When Supernatural left us last week, the angels had come to collect Anna. And by collect, I mean kill.
Tonight started off with Uriel revealing that Anna is worse than Ruby in the soul cleanliness department. Despite that, the boys are not interested in turning her over. A fight ensues, where Castiel touches two fingers to Sam's forehead and drops him like a sack of potatoes while Uriel pushes Ruby aside and begins soundly begins beating Dean the old fashioned way, with a good dose of glee. But before Castiel can get to Anna, a bright light appears and both he and Uriel disappear, much to their own seeming surprise. The guys get to Anna to find her finger-painting symbols onto a mirror in her own blood, with no idea how she knows the symbols.
Ruby gets them some hex bags to help in staying off heaven and hell's respective radars while they shack up in Bobby's bunker and try to figure out exactly what's going on with the Anna the angel antennae. I alliterate with wild abandon! The angels are maintaining radio silence, but hospital records are still available and Sam discovers Anna was an in-patient more than once. The first time was actually when she was around 2 years old, when she got hysterical every time her father - the deacon - came near her, screaming that he wasn't her father and was trying to kill her. Anna overhears Sam relating all this to Dean and gets pretty bent out of shape that they are talking about her behind her back, but admits she can offer no insight into her two year old self because she has no memory of it.
Which brings the boys back to Pamela, a character reappearance I am rather happy with because, let's face it. Pamela kicks major butt. Almost as much as she admires Sam's butt, despite being blind. She points out she still has more senses than most people and then admits that she'll help because she'll take any chance to screw over an angel. Anna asks why and Pamela takes off her sunglasses to reveal white plastic orbs where most people keep their eyeballs.
Pamela hypnotizes Anna, who just comes unglued before revealing anything, though she does manage to backhand Dean across the room. It would be impressive under normal circumstances, but when Pamela wakes Anna up she reveals she regained her memory. She's an angel, who ripped out her own grace and fell to earth. She also used to be Uriel and Castiel's boss. So, heaven wants her dead and hell wants to torture her for information and Dean and Sam are in the middle of it. They decide to find Anna's grace and pinpoint Kentucky as a likely spot based on the occurrence of two meteors falling to earth 9 months before her birth.
Ruby tries to convince Sam to get back in the swing of using his gifts since his attempt to vanquish Alastair failed, but he refuses. Meanwhile, Pamela bails on the operation and Anna and Dean argue about the merits of humanity over being angelic. Apparently, angels have no free will and only 4 of them have ever seen the face of god. Like humanity, they are expected to accept his existence based on faith. Unlike humanity, if they decide to be atheists, they are killed for it.
The next day they make the drive to Kentucky, where reports pointed them to an oak tree that looked centuries old but had sprung up in about 6 months. Unfortunately, her grace is not there. On the upside, the angels are back on the airwaves, relaying a loop that if Anna isn't handed over by midnight, Dean goes back to hell. At a loss, Anna wonders aloud if she doesn't deserve to be punished, since she pulled a Lucifer. Wait, didn't Lucifer actively fight heaven? She just kinda quit. That aside, she also lets Dean know that she heard the angels talking about what he did in hell and that she knows it wasn't his fault. He says he can't talk about it. So, they stop talking and start kissing. Sam ends up with a demon while Dean hooks up with an Angel. There's some strange symmetry there. However, unlike demons, apparently angels do have to wear bras. Heaven is restrictive, I guess.
Elsewhere, Ruby sneaks away and burns a hex bag and Alastair appears. She tries to strike a deal where she hands over the angel and she and the Winchester boys walk away, but instead he has some hench-demons grab her and gets to torturing her with the demon killing knife he collected last episode. Meanwhile, Uriel appears to Dean in a dream, revealing that he has Anna's grace. However, when he threatens Dean with hell again, Dean is unmoved and stands his ground. So Uriel applies pressure elsewhere. And so does Alastair, leaving Ruby to offer to bring him to the Angel.
Dean is drinking while Sam and Anna pace and wonder where Ruby is. Castiel and Uriel burst in and when Sam asks how they found them, Dean says "I'm sorry". A shocked Sam asks why he revealed their location, But Anna knows - they threatened to kill Sam. Further, she proves her angelic nature by forgiving Dean and stepping up to collect her due. But Alastair shows up with perfect timing and demands that the angels step aside.
The fight that ensues is interesting, as Castiel puts his palm to Alastair's head to no effect. The demon tells him to run to daddy, and then gets a grip on the angel's throat and starts an incantation. Meanwhile, Uriel is busy overcoming the demonic henchmen so Dean whacks Alastair over the head. The demon conveys his disappointment, adding "you had such promise". In the midst of all the fighting, Anna managed to grab her grace off Uriel - to his dismay - and yells for everyone to close their eyes. Castiel doesn't and neither does Alastair, but only Castiel survives the experience as Anna and Alastair disappear in the blinding light that bursts out of her. Sam hopes she's happier wherever she is, but Dean doubts she is.
The evening ends with the boys sharing a beer and Dean telling Sam he knows he heard what Alastair said about him having promise. Sam admits he did, but he's not going to push the issue. In a moving scene, Dean reveals that time was different in hell, and what was 4 months on earth was closer to 40 years in hell. The demons ripped him apart until there was nothing left, and then the parts they had ripped magically reappeared so they could start all over. Everyday, Alastair offered to get him off the rack if Dean would take over torturing others and for 30 years Dean refused. Until the day he couldn't anymore. He admits that he lost count of the souls he tortured, but he remembers what he did to them and wishes he couldn't feel anything anymore.
The funniest moment of the evening was clearing the Titanic styled hand smear on the steamy car window as well as the visual of Bobby in a "banana hammock and trucker cap", but here were a few lines that stood out to me:
Dean: Anna may have sent the angels to the outfield, but sooner or later they are going to come back.
Dean: So who is the daddy? The plumber? A little snake in the pipes?
Sam: You're confusing reality with porn.
Dean: An angel and a demon riding in the backseat sounds like the set up to a bad joke. Or a Penthouse forum letter.
Sam: Dude. Reality. Porn.
What were your thoughts on this evening's episode? Will Anna become their ally in Heaven, or is she being punished by the almighty? Is Castiel truly more empathetic than the average angel, or is it all a ploy to gain the boy's trust? Can we please see more of Pamela?
I loved the episode! I loved the porn/reality confusion, labeled so by Sam. Love that Dean finally 'fessed up about his time in hell (what a tear-jerker! Was there a dry eye in the house?), enjoyed finding out who Anna really was and seeing Pam again. Now I just have to wait till January for more Kripke-goodness. It's going to be a long holilday season!
KaeDee | Nov 20, 2008 9:15:27 PM | #Likes:
-Misha Collins is great at just face acting. Those expressions. How could you not love?
-Dean came clean... and we get a legitimate reason why he hates talking about Hell.
-I squealed when I saw that Pamela's actress was in the credits. She's still fun and loooves Sam's tush.
Dislikes:
-Angel Anna's sudden revelation. Like really?
-I guess I expected the battle to be more epic. Whatever.
-It cut off at Dean's confession face and now it won't be back on until Janurary 15th. Thanks a lot.
Anna was lame. I wanted her to rock like she did last week. And Dean having sex with an angel is actually quite disturbing. Then the scene WOULDN'T END. Thank goodness for the FF button.
However, Ruby & Pam are still awesomely awesome.
Episode was weak, but it has been the only weak link since the opener.
Halo | Nov 21, 2008 1:18:34 AM | #Did Alastair die? He was such a cool villain, it would be pity to get rid of him after only two episodes.
Rinzo | Nov 21, 2008 2:53:32 AM | #I was concerned that the big reveal would disappoint, but I was blown away. Jensen's acting really pulled it off. What I'm having difficulty dealing with is the fact that Dean doesn't seem to be taking the whole Hell on Earth thing too seriously. After what he's been through, you'd think he'd be willing to do anything to stop it from happening.
Kathy B. | Nov 21, 2008 4:46:27 AM | #I was also let down, but that's only because the rest of this season has been absolutely amazing. I also would have liked a little more fire and brimstone, but then again this is a CW show and the budget has to be limited. Wasn't surprised by Dean's revelation, but it was still a moving scene. The love scene was good too, although the Titanic hand smear kind of made it cheesy. I doubt Alistair's dead. He's too good of a villain and he's obviously a badass if he could take down Castiel. I'll be very interested to see what the deal with that is because it clearly shocked Castiel quite a bit.
Steve | Nov 21, 2008 6:13:49 AM | #While I love this show and the boys, I much prefer when they are fighting some evil "thing" different each week, preferably with Bobby's help. This long drawn out story arc may be easier for the writers, but I'm really not enjoying it. It's just not fun!
Kathy | Nov 21, 2008 6:22:05 AM | #I love this show, but this will probably go down as one of my least favorite episodes of the entire series. It just didn't keep my interest. I am fine with the guys having love interests, but the sex scenes with angels and demons that they've done these past two weeks are going too far. The Winchesters should have human girlfriends since they're human themselves.
Penny | Nov 21, 2008 7:19:57 AM | #This episode was horrendous. It ticked everything I dislike about Supernatural and there isn't all that much.
Ackles and Anna had zero chemistry and the entire story felt like the Winchesters were bitparts in their own show. Nope.
Epic fail for me.
Holly | Nov 21, 2008 7:43:55 AM | #Yes, I agree, the episode overall was weak although Jensen's acting in the last scene was superb.
That said, I was expecting to be more blown away by the overall episode and I wasn't. The Anna actress wasn't right for the part. She was too creepy and weird looking to be effective and I agree that that actress had zero chemistry with Jensen, not like the blonde bar wench from that funny Halloween episode. Also, definitely seemed to be some angel love history between Anna and Castiel by the way he was looking at her with this kind of bittersweet, "oh, is that what Anna looks like as a human" look he was giving her.
Alastair...what's the deal with his weird lisp? He's got a weird way of talking. I don't remember him sounding like that last week in his first appearance.
The funniest lines of the episode were when Uriel said to Dean: "You cut yourself a slice of angel food cake!" and then Dean responded that Uriel was "junkless like a Ken doll."
IggyPop | Nov 21, 2008 9:23:27 AM | #While not the best, it was still miles better than last week's and the angels rocked. Castiel and Uriel bring so much to the show and the Castiel and Dean dynamics are awesome. I also loved the confrontation between Uriel and Dean and hope to see more interaction between these two great characters. All in all, pleased with it.
hermit | Nov 21, 2008 10:11:26 AM | #I enjoyed this episode, but it's not one of my favorites of the season. I thought Dean's connection with Anna came honestly and I really enjoyed this sex scene (unlike last week's horrid Sam/Ruby disaster). I continue to adore Castiel and all of his interactions with Dean. I love badass Uriel as well.
Finally, Jensen Ackles is the most talented actor on television. He was outstanding in this episode and absolutely amazing in the final scene. Sometimes I think that Kripke must just assume Jensen will save many of the more mediocre episodes, which I guess is a good assumption, since Jensen's performance always does.
Lauren | Nov 21, 2008 10:24:30 AM | #ken doll..my favourite line =) =)
garibaldi | Nov 21, 2008 12:06:42 PM | #This is the third show this week that made me misty! Jensen again knocked it out of the park.
Jen | Nov 21, 2008 12:57:05 PM | #I really enjoyed the episode. I was also really pleased to have Pamela back (she is one of the few girls I actually like who have been on the show). I also loved the reality/porn lines too.
I have to say that I honestly think that Jensen Ackles is an incredibly talented actor and though he has been awesome throughout all the seasons of the show this season he has been amazing. I think that the people who nominate the actors for emmys tend to overlook the CW because of the demographic that most of the shows are aimed towards, but honestly Jensen deserves to be recognized for his work on Supernatural. And come next years emmys, I really hope he gets at the very least nominated. But maybe that's just me.
Dory | Nov 21, 2008 1:03:56 PM | #Could have been better. Thought the whole grace in a bottle thing was silly. Anna and Dean had no chemistry and the love scenes felt forced. I hate the sex scenes. Jensen and Jared did a great job on the final scene though. But why isn't Dean a basket case? I'm not buying a few drinks and flashbacks after what he told Sam about hell. There better be more PTSD in his future for this to be believable.
Jo | Nov 21, 2008 1:36:28 PM | #I loved this episode, my only problem with Anna was that she was played by a very young actress. It would have been better to have had an actress who could convey the strain of being a obedient for thousands and thousands of years. Same with Ruby. I understand young actress are always preferred, but it feels more real when (like with Castiel) they look tired and old. Although it was a little lite on Sam/Dean, I think it's good to expand the Supernatural.
eva | Nov 21, 2008 2:14:32 PM | #I loved this episode but there are a few things which no one has mentioned so I guess must be missing something
- was Anna not aware of the plan or just acting when she said she forgave Dean
- Castiel seemed surprised when Anna grabbed the grace vial from Uriel's neck. Is that more tension between the two.
Also the part about Castiel and Anna having history. Was that a romantic allusion and is that potential Dean - Castiel awkward moments.
Oh and lastly, was Alastair sucked in by Anna or did he jump in, sort of to follow her.
And lastly (really now), Dean told the angles to go after Anna or were they to scared to follow her, so where did she go?
"However, unlike demons, apparently angels do have to wear bras. Heaven is restrictive, I guess." HAHAHA! That's a great line!!
| Nov 21, 2008 3:05:08 PM | #Ok - I thought the episode was great, loved Jensen Ackles performance - he can convey more with his eyes than a million pages of dialogue. I didn't find the Dean/Anna scenes too out of place. But I have to say something about the recap. I read the recap before I watched the episode and I had a totally different vision of the episode in mind before I watched it. The episode was much better than the recap made it out to be and the recap got some things wrong. When the boys were talking about Anna's incident when she was 2 years old - she had been screaming that the Deacon wasn't her real father and that her REAL father wanted her dead, not the Deacon. Also, when Dean and Anna were talking about being human versus being an angel, one of the things Anna said was that they were cold and unfeeling. This is important for two reasons. First, when Anna disappears and Dean says she's not happier, he's not suggesting she's not in heaven, but merely that she's not happy to be there. Also, at the end when he says he wishes he just didn't feel... is he wishing he was an angel so he didn't have to have the feelings?
And finally - Ruby didn't just betray their location, and Dean didn't just give it up to save Sam, it had been a plan all along - that Sam came up with. To get the two forces into the same room and get out of the way and let them battle it out.
Not discussing these points gives the episode a completely different impression.
Grace | Nov 22, 2008 12:03:51 AM | #Hey Grace,
you are right about those points not being mentioned. Usually I find the review lacking in in depth analysis but I can always count on the posters to compensate for that and I actually prefer it that way.
But am surprised that on this episode a number of people sort of skimmed through the show and did not even try to explore the usual possibilities like how MJ thought someone had moved the dresser for Anna or how Allara at least thought Anna might be a prophet or an Angel last week.
As I mentioned in the post above plus the points you just made, there is so much more going on underneath that isn't being credited to the show this week.
Also, what does anyone say about the growing doubt or discontent or is it fading faith that Castiel is showing. Misha Collins doesn't talk much in the show but no one conveys facial expressions better.
I am surprised so many people are hung up about the sex scenes.
It sure seemed in character for Dean. And remember that Ruby and Sam have a history together that was not really shown on screen. Wasn't Dean away for four months?
I must say I am suprised that some felt this episode was weak. Though I thought the confrontation could have been more epic I still was glued to the set. I thought it was quite exciting. I like this arc and they will still have those episodes that stray so calm down folks.Yes Jensen is a great actor but Jared should not be over looked. He plays his part the way it is written for him and the way he and jensen feed off each other I would not want anyone else in the roles. Sex did not bother me they have to show that the boys are human, although I'd prefer is Sam had not slept with a demon. This will remain a great show as long as they don't make Sam evil at the end and make it brother vs brother if so I will be one let down viewer.
tj | Nov 22, 2008 6:53:59 AM | #I have tried to be patient with this show this year and their portrayal of the "other side" (Heaven) but they have really gone too far. You can see very little (if any) difference between the angels and the demons. Now unless God sends all of these angels to Hell at the end of the season, like was done to Lucifer, I can see no reason for not labeling this show the most anti-Christian show ever. Grace is just something you can keep in a vial????? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! This season is just terrible and should be condemned!
Phil | Nov 22, 2008 12:18:32 PM | #Let's think about the sex in the light that maybe it isn't gratuitous. Perhaps the creative people behind Supernatural are thinking about having the Winchester boys become fathers, with one child being born of a demon mother and the other born of an angel mother. What would happen to such children? What powers would they possess? Would they continue the battle of good versus evil?
Frank | Nov 22, 2008 6:40:41 PM | #
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