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rogueslayer452Supernatural 6.07 "Family Matters"
In investigating what is wrong with Sam, Dean and Castiel come to the startling revelation that Sam doesn't have his soul. They investigate further with Grandpa Campbell hoping for some answers, only to discover that he does have his soul intact, leaving more questions than answers. During this time we learn that their grandfather doesn't trust Dean and thinks he's a liability, as do the rest of the Campbell clan, however Dean knows they are up to shady business after witnessing them kidnapping the Alpha Vamp for whatever purposes they have. He and Sam come to an understanding that they need to know what is going on, so they track the Campbells to their secretive hideaway where they learn some interesting and startling news about what has been happening this entire time. Even more shocking is when Crowley makes a surprise appearance in revealing his connection with the whole ordeal and what happened to Sam's soul, leaving more shady business with the Campbells and an unknown future for the Winchester brothers and where they stand in this.
This episode was a pleasant surprise after the recent episodes, and gave us some interesting revelations and twists on certain plot-points. It's not entirely perfect, but it's a start...
The King of Hell: What Are Crowley's Intentions?
With a shocking revelation towards the end of the episode it had gotten me wondering what Crowley's truest intentions are. Granted he revealed certain things that make sense when you put the puzzle together, however being a demon that he is I feel like there's something he's not telling us, particularly concerning Sam's soul.
It seems rather odd that Crowley has not only the ability to bring back both Grandfather Campbell and Sam, but also to make a deal with their grandfather but not to Sam. It would seem like he's using Sam as a leverage in getting what he wants and Grandfather Campbell is part of that ploy, but is Crowley really powerful enough to do something like this? Is it because he's the King of Hell? But even so, how could he get Sam out from Lucifer's cage like that? Demons couldn't get Lucifer out and went to extreme lengths for years, centuries even, to even make verbal contact with him, so how could a demon like Crowley do it, even if he upgraded his status? Also, how does a demon get promoted like that? Who was the former King of Hell anyway? The Yellow-Eyed Demon? Has Hell been vacant of their new "king" for the longest time since that happened, since they've been at war?
These are pressing questions that the show needs to answer in order to get the full picture of the situation.
Nevertheless, because of these things I'm wondering if Crowley is telling the truth about whether he's holding Sam's soul. While Sam is particularly soulless, an unflinching heartless robot that cannot tell right from wrong anymore and continues to lie relentlessly at everyone he comes in contact with, he has been able to clearly tell if others are lying, knowing their "tells" and getting them to reveal the truth. In this episode Sam says that Crowley is bluffing, and while Crowley is denying that he is he definitely might as well be. Demons do often bend the truth and lie constantly. There could be the possibility that Crowley only knows who has Sam's soul and is playing this up, like an elaborate plan of holding this over their heads in order to get the brothers to do his dirty work for him in getting him Alphas to give them clues where purgatory is located and how to breech it. He probably thought he had leverage with Bobby's soul but that backfired, and now he thinks perhaps he could use the leverage of Sam's soul, whether he does own it or not, to be part of this scheme.
Whatever the case may be, it's kind of obvious that Crowley wants to take over purgatory since he's clearly unhappy about his current position of being ruler of Hell. I'm kind of pleased with this reveal and character development because all in all, it makes sense given these motivations and what is happening. Hopefully we'll get more answers to this that either confirms or debunks my suspicions regarding the souls business.
Mythology: The Paranormal and Purgatory
One of the intriguing developments this episode brought us was purgatory, or rather the concept of purgatory, which is supposedly where the "souls" of supernatural creatures go to when they die.
It's interesting because that has been one of the burning questions found in meta since the beginning, I think even in the show itself at some points and the boys obviously didn't know. Well it seems like we're finally getting into that part of the mythology. Of course this raises more questions whether this is going to be a created purgatory for the show or are they going to go for the traditional version of it. Which might lead to the possibility that the souls/spirits of humans are also there as well. Like John and Mary Winchester for example, their souls weren't found in Heaven as confirmed from last season so it makes us wonder whether they are trapped in purgatory as well (and maybe that's one of the deals made by Crowley, perhaps Samuel knew that his daughter hadn't been in Heaven and that there could be a possibility she might be held in purgatory and the only way to find out is to be Crowley's buttmonkey to find answers, hmmmm.....)
Could angels also be trapped in purgatory too? Because that would also be an interesting twist of things, and a chance to bring back certain characters....*cough*GABRIEL*cough*
I'm highly intrigued with where this entire thing is heading. Mostly because it's part of the mythology and being me, I love anything dealing with the mythology of the show, and I want to know how they're gonna deal with this. While I'm still kind of meh with this season I want to know how they're gonna connect everything involving what is happening to this. That's the main thing, especially since with Crowley being in the middle of it was a nice surprise and a pleasant twist of events where it all makes sense. I want this storyline with purgatory to go somewhere exciting.
Memorable Moments of the Episode:
++ CASTIEL IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES BB! \O/ Seriously, the best thing to see is Castiel in the beginning scene of any episode. Also, I loved how that beginning scene was shot, the blurring-coming-into-focus to illustrate Sam coming back to consciousness...and of course having Castiel looking directly at you into the camera. I don't know why, but that amuses me. His curious "what is this?" expressions kills me and makes me lol. Plus him being "doctor" and inspecting Sam, lol, that was hilarious.
++ "Is he speaking in tongues? Are you speaking in tongues?" I love how thorough Castiel loves to be with his question, lol. XD
++ LET'S TAKE A MOMENT AND LOOK AT HOW FUCKING CLOSE THEY ARE STANDING, OKAY? JUST LOOK.
PROFOUND BOND FOREVER. ♥
Seriously you guys, isn't this precisely the same distance they were in during last season with the "personal space" issue? I mean the room is big enough, and yet they're standing so close like the walls are closing in or that Sam might overhear them because they are talking loud for him to hear them. They are just that close. No that I'm complaining of course, the more lacking in personal space boundaries between them the better. But I found it so hilariously awesome that just one more inch they would be kissing or touching noses at least. Oh OTP, why you be so adorable? *draws hearts all around them*
++ I still don't like the Campbells. They are all shady motherfuckers who need to all die, kthx.
++ Dean calls Castiel their "wingman" and I love it, especially since he knew that Castiel was already there before he was there. He knows when and where his boyfriend is gonna show up. <3
++ "MY TRUE FORM IS APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF YOUR CHRYSLER BUILDING." <--- will never get old!
This entire moment between Castiel and Creepy Grandfather Campbell just was amazing. It was like them sizing each other up and measuring and whatnot. XD Plus Castiel bragging about his angelic visage is awesome, and Dean making a casual comment about it made the entire thing even better. I also think that Castiel doesn't trust Grandfather Campbell (as he should be) and being questioned of his size made him even more defensive of himself, like he doesn't need to explain but dammit he wasn't gonna let this jerkoff insult him. And he's very protective of his Dean so, you know.
LOOK AT HIS INTENSE LOOK HERE. CAS MEANS BUSINESS BITCHES, LOL!
++ DEAN STOP BEING A DICK TOYOUR BOYFRIEND CASTIEL. Seriously. This needs to stop. Castiel has issues too, you know, not everything revolves around your needs.
++ Hearing Castiel's sad sarcasm was heartbreaking, because it was sarcasm and it was meant to be a jab at Dean's selfishness in that moment and having zero regard for Castiel and his stuff. When I was watching the episode with my sister she thought what Cas said was sweet, however I later corrected her in saying that it was a sarcastic remark that had a sadness to it. It was saying that oh of course his needs are first and be damned anything else that is happening, which is a common recurrence with these boys it seems. -___- I hope this is somewhat significant and doesn't cause a huge rift down the line.....
HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GONNA CRY IN THIS SCENE, DOESN'T HE? ;______; OH CAS BB.
++ CHRISTIAN IS A DICKWAD. Though thankfully he was revealed to be a demon the entire time so, huzzah.
++ Again I say, I don't like any of the Campbells. At all. Which is a shame and I guess it's supposed to be like that, but I just want them gone forever. :/ And calling Dean a "reject"? Fucktards. At least that chick Gwen apologized, but I'm sketchy about her in general. She seems alright for the most part, but you never know. She's probably gonna wind up dead anyhow though so, meh.
++ So happy that Dean confronted Sam on everything. I mean really, this is how the the angst should be. Productive. Talking it out, working together and resolving shit, at least a little bit, is what we want to see happen. Not rehash all the same melodramatic shit every single episode.
++ IT'S SIMON!!!!!!!!!!
All my Battlestar Galactica peeps will know. It's exciting to see fellow BSG alums guest-starring on this show, there's been over a dozen of them over the seasons. This is the fourth Cylon to make an appearance. And Rick Worthy was absolutely perfect in this role as the Alpha Vampire. He has that perfect eerie calmness about him that is so creepifying yet appropriate. I loved the way he talks, the way he calmly explains things to the boys, the way he communicates. I especially loved his "NOT A SINGLE FUCK WAS GIVEN" expression with the torture devices used, lol. Guys, he's an alpha, that shit don't faze him at all.
++ Second on the BSG cast alum is our surprising recurring guest.....
Seriously, how awesome is Mark Sheppard as Crowley? I literally squeed when we panned over to see him standing there. \O/ Loved the entire reveal; Christian being a demon, Crowley being the operator the entire time, Creep Grandfather Campbell being his bitch, the soul situation, purgatory, etc.
"Me: Charlie, you: angels." <--- Perhaps the best quote from the man this episode. ilu Mark/Crowley. ♥
++ Can I just mention one thing? I still don't trust Sam. I still think he has something to hide. I mean, I know that while the cat is out of the bag regarding him being utterly soulless and him admitting to it, he's still lying and he's still been playing this game the entire time. There's a difference I think between not knowing what the fuck is happening to you and your behavior pattern has changed to the things Sam had deliberately done recently, such as lying straight to his brother's face time and time again, and only telling the truth when he gets caught red-handed, watching him get turned into a vampire and allowing him to be a danger to himself and others, and of course trusting the Campbells despite everything suspicious that has been happening and not seeing it. I think despite all of this Sam is just lost and yes, all of this behavior is psychotic. He may say otherwise, but we don't know precisely what he's thinking or how his entire thought process works without having a soul. When asked what it's like to live without a soul, I seriously really want to know the answer to that.
Plus this?
His expression there? Is scary. Soulless as he may be, this entire expression is ominous and asking that question really doesn't reassure me of anything right now. I don't know if it's just me, but this isn't gonna end well. *nervous*
Overall: This episode was definitely a fine improvement from the episodes this season. In fact I was legitimately surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode overall, since I kind of dislike anything dealing with the Campbells, but at least we'd gotten answers and then some. Everything from involving the Alpha Vampire and the concept of purgatory to Crowley's involvement was very well done, and it's actually gotten me back into being interested in this part of the show. We see the brothers actually working together than being on polar opposites this go around and actually working through their angstiness rather than dwelling on it. Castiel, while there should have been more of him (as he should always be) was a delight to see as always. ♥ I just wish there is more Castiel in the future and more Dean/Castiel interaction, something where Dean apologizes to Cas for being such a dick lately, but that is just hopeful wishing at this point. I do like where the direction is headed where Crowley and the alpha/purgatory stuff is going anyhow. I hope there's more with that as the episodes continues.
Furthermore, aside from hearing Misha Collins' voiceover before the episode began (\O/ our bb is getting publicity hallelujah!), I read in an article somewhere that it was actually Mark Sheppard's idea for him to not be featured in the opening credits because he knew fans would appreciate being surprised right along Sam and Dean. He's one sly, smart man that Mark Sheppard, and I love him for it. ♥
In investigating what is wrong with Sam, Dean and Castiel come to the startling revelation that Sam doesn't have his soul. They investigate further with Grandpa Campbell hoping for some answers, only to discover that he does have his soul intact, leaving more questions than answers. During this time we learn that their grandfather doesn't trust Dean and thinks he's a liability, as do the rest of the Campbell clan, however Dean knows they are up to shady business after witnessing them kidnapping the Alpha Vamp for whatever purposes they have. He and Sam come to an understanding that they need to know what is going on, so they track the Campbells to their secretive hideaway where they learn some interesting and startling news about what has been happening this entire time. Even more shocking is when Crowley makes a surprise appearance in revealing his connection with the whole ordeal and what happened to Sam's soul, leaving more shady business with the Campbells and an unknown future for the Winchester brothers and where they stand in this.
This episode was a pleasant surprise after the recent episodes, and gave us some interesting revelations and twists on certain plot-points. It's not entirely perfect, but it's a start...
The King of Hell: What Are Crowley's Intentions?
With a shocking revelation towards the end of the episode it had gotten me wondering what Crowley's truest intentions are. Granted he revealed certain things that make sense when you put the puzzle together, however being a demon that he is I feel like there's something he's not telling us, particularly concerning Sam's soul.
It seems rather odd that Crowley has not only the ability to bring back both Grandfather Campbell and Sam, but also to make a deal with their grandfather but not to Sam. It would seem like he's using Sam as a leverage in getting what he wants and Grandfather Campbell is part of that ploy, but is Crowley really powerful enough to do something like this? Is it because he's the King of Hell? But even so, how could he get Sam out from Lucifer's cage like that? Demons couldn't get Lucifer out and went to extreme lengths for years, centuries even, to even make verbal contact with him, so how could a demon like Crowley do it, even if he upgraded his status? Also, how does a demon get promoted like that? Who was the former King of Hell anyway? The Yellow-Eyed Demon? Has Hell been vacant of their new "king" for the longest time since that happened, since they've been at war?
These are pressing questions that the show needs to answer in order to get the full picture of the situation.
Nevertheless, because of these things I'm wondering if Crowley is telling the truth about whether he's holding Sam's soul. While Sam is particularly soulless, an unflinching heartless robot that cannot tell right from wrong anymore and continues to lie relentlessly at everyone he comes in contact with, he has been able to clearly tell if others are lying, knowing their "tells" and getting them to reveal the truth. In this episode Sam says that Crowley is bluffing, and while Crowley is denying that he is he definitely might as well be. Demons do often bend the truth and lie constantly. There could be the possibility that Crowley only knows who has Sam's soul and is playing this up, like an elaborate plan of holding this over their heads in order to get the brothers to do his dirty work for him in getting him Alphas to give them clues where purgatory is located and how to breech it. He probably thought he had leverage with Bobby's soul but that backfired, and now he thinks perhaps he could use the leverage of Sam's soul, whether he does own it or not, to be part of this scheme.
Whatever the case may be, it's kind of obvious that Crowley wants to take over purgatory since he's clearly unhappy about his current position of being ruler of Hell. I'm kind of pleased with this reveal and character development because all in all, it makes sense given these motivations and what is happening. Hopefully we'll get more answers to this that either confirms or debunks my suspicions regarding the souls business.
Mythology: The Paranormal and Purgatory
One of the intriguing developments this episode brought us was purgatory, or rather the concept of purgatory, which is supposedly where the "souls" of supernatural creatures go to when they die.
It's interesting because that has been one of the burning questions found in meta since the beginning, I think even in the show itself at some points and the boys obviously didn't know. Well it seems like we're finally getting into that part of the mythology. Of course this raises more questions whether this is going to be a created purgatory for the show or are they going to go for the traditional version of it. Which might lead to the possibility that the souls/spirits of humans are also there as well. Like John and Mary Winchester for example, their souls weren't found in Heaven as confirmed from last season so it makes us wonder whether they are trapped in purgatory as well (and maybe that's one of the deals made by Crowley, perhaps Samuel knew that his daughter hadn't been in Heaven and that there could be a possibility she might be held in purgatory and the only way to find out is to be Crowley's buttmonkey to find answers, hmmmm.....)
Could angels also be trapped in purgatory too? Because that would also be an interesting twist of things, and a chance to bring back certain characters....*cough*GABRIEL*cough*
I'm highly intrigued with where this entire thing is heading. Mostly because it's part of the mythology and being me, I love anything dealing with the mythology of the show, and I want to know how they're gonna deal with this. While I'm still kind of meh with this season I want to know how they're gonna connect everything involving what is happening to this. That's the main thing, especially since with Crowley being in the middle of it was a nice surprise and a pleasant twist of events where it all makes sense. I want this storyline with purgatory to go somewhere exciting.
Memorable Moments of the Episode:
++ CASTIEL IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES BB! \O/ Seriously, the best thing to see is Castiel in the beginning scene of any episode. Also, I loved how that beginning scene was shot, the blurring-coming-into-focus to illustrate Sam coming back to consciousness...and of course having Castiel looking directly at you into the camera. I don't know why, but that amuses me. His curious "what is this?" expressions kills me and makes me lol. Plus him being "doctor" and inspecting Sam, lol, that was hilarious.
++ "Is he speaking in tongues? Are you speaking in tongues?" I love how thorough Castiel loves to be with his question, lol. XD
++ LET'S TAKE A MOMENT AND LOOK AT HOW FUCKING CLOSE THEY ARE STANDING, OKAY? JUST LOOK.
PROFOUND BOND FOREVER. ♥
Seriously you guys, isn't this precisely the same distance they were in during last season with the "personal space" issue? I mean the room is big enough, and yet they're standing so close like the walls are closing in or that Sam might overhear them because they are talking loud for him to hear them. They are just that close. No that I'm complaining of course, the more lacking in personal space boundaries between them the better. But I found it so hilariously awesome that just one more inch they would be kissing or touching noses at least. Oh OTP, why you be so adorable? *draws hearts all around them*
++ I still don't like the Campbells. They are all shady motherfuckers who need to all die, kthx.
++ Dean calls Castiel their "wingman" and I love it, especially since he knew that Castiel was already there before he was there. He knows when and where his boyfriend is gonna show up. <3
++ "MY TRUE FORM IS APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE OF YOUR CHRYSLER BUILDING." <--- will never get old!
This entire moment between Castiel and Creepy Grandfather Campbell just was amazing. It was like them sizing each other up and measuring and whatnot. XD Plus Castiel bragging about his angelic visage is awesome, and Dean making a casual comment about it made the entire thing even better. I also think that Castiel doesn't trust Grandfather Campbell (as he should be) and being questioned of his size made him even more defensive of himself, like he doesn't need to explain but dammit he wasn't gonna let this jerkoff insult him. And he's very protective of his Dean so, you know.
LOOK AT HIS INTENSE LOOK HERE. CAS MEANS BUSINESS BITCHES, LOL!
++ DEAN STOP BEING A DICK TO
++ Hearing Castiel's sad sarcasm was heartbreaking, because it was sarcasm and it was meant to be a jab at Dean's selfishness in that moment and having zero regard for Castiel and his stuff. When I was watching the episode with my sister she thought what Cas said was sweet, however I later corrected her in saying that it was a sarcastic remark that had a sadness to it. It was saying that oh of course his needs are first and be damned anything else that is happening, which is a common recurrence with these boys it seems. -___- I hope this is somewhat significant and doesn't cause a huge rift down the line.....
HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GONNA CRY IN THIS SCENE, DOESN'T HE? ;______; OH CAS BB.
++ CHRISTIAN IS A DICKWAD. Though thankfully he was revealed to be a demon the entire time so, huzzah.
++ Again I say, I don't like any of the Campbells. At all. Which is a shame and I guess it's supposed to be like that, but I just want them gone forever. :/ And calling Dean a "reject"? Fucktards. At least that chick Gwen apologized, but I'm sketchy about her in general. She seems alright for the most part, but you never know. She's probably gonna wind up dead anyhow though so, meh.
++ So happy that Dean confronted Sam on everything. I mean really, this is how the the angst should be. Productive. Talking it out, working together and resolving shit, at least a little bit, is what we want to see happen. Not rehash all the same melodramatic shit every single episode.
++ IT'S SIMON!!!!!!!!!!
All my Battlestar Galactica peeps will know. It's exciting to see fellow BSG alums guest-starring on this show, there's been over a dozen of them over the seasons. This is the fourth Cylon to make an appearance. And Rick Worthy was absolutely perfect in this role as the Alpha Vampire. He has that perfect eerie calmness about him that is so creepifying yet appropriate. I loved the way he talks, the way he calmly explains things to the boys, the way he communicates. I especially loved his "NOT A SINGLE FUCK WAS GIVEN" expression with the torture devices used, lol. Guys, he's an alpha, that shit don't faze him at all.
++ Second on the BSG cast alum is our surprising recurring guest.....
Seriously, how awesome is Mark Sheppard as Crowley? I literally squeed when we panned over to see him standing there. \O/ Loved the entire reveal; Christian being a demon, Crowley being the operator the entire time, Creep Grandfather Campbell being his bitch, the soul situation, purgatory, etc.
"Me: Charlie, you: angels." <--- Perhaps the best quote from the man this episode. ilu Mark/Crowley. ♥
++ Can I just mention one thing? I still don't trust Sam. I still think he has something to hide. I mean, I know that while the cat is out of the bag regarding him being utterly soulless and him admitting to it, he's still lying and he's still been playing this game the entire time. There's a difference I think between not knowing what the fuck is happening to you and your behavior pattern has changed to the things Sam had deliberately done recently, such as lying straight to his brother's face time and time again, and only telling the truth when he gets caught red-handed, watching him get turned into a vampire and allowing him to be a danger to himself and others, and of course trusting the Campbells despite everything suspicious that has been happening and not seeing it. I think despite all of this Sam is just lost and yes, all of this behavior is psychotic. He may say otherwise, but we don't know precisely what he's thinking or how his entire thought process works without having a soul. When asked what it's like to live without a soul, I seriously really want to know the answer to that.
Plus this?
His expression there? Is scary. Soulless as he may be, this entire expression is ominous and asking that question really doesn't reassure me of anything right now. I don't know if it's just me, but this isn't gonna end well. *nervous*
Overall: This episode was definitely a fine improvement from the episodes this season. In fact I was legitimately surprised at how much I enjoyed this episode overall, since I kind of dislike anything dealing with the Campbells, but at least we'd gotten answers and then some. Everything from involving the Alpha Vampire and the concept of purgatory to Crowley's involvement was very well done, and it's actually gotten me back into being interested in this part of the show. We see the brothers actually working together than being on polar opposites this go around and actually working through their angstiness rather than dwelling on it. Castiel, while there should have been more of him (as he should always be) was a delight to see as always. ♥ I just wish there is more Castiel in the future and more Dean/Castiel interaction, something where Dean apologizes to Cas for being such a dick lately, but that is just hopeful wishing at this point. I do like where the direction is headed where Crowley and the alpha/purgatory stuff is going anyhow. I hope there's more with that as the episodes continues.
Furthermore, aside from hearing Misha Collins' voiceover before the episode began (\O/ our bb is getting publicity hallelujah!), I read in an article somewhere that it was actually Mark Sheppard's idea for him to not be featured in the opening credits because he knew fans would appreciate being surprised right along Sam and Dean. He's one sly, smart man that Mark Sheppard, and I love him for it. ♥
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no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 03:26 pm (UTC)*crosses fingers too* If it were me, I'd have a Trickster episode where Dean gets turned into Cas so he can see what Cas' life is like. I know I tune in just to see Dean/Jensen in the trench coat and Cas/Misha is Dean's clothes.
no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 04:14 pm (UTC)Oh, in a perfect world this would ever happen. *sighs*
no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 04:34 pm (UTC)So very true. At this point I think Dean would need a Chrysler building sided clue-by-four to understand that Cas has his own life and he can't just wait around and than drop everything whenever Dean decides to call him; it's like the mirror version Dean/Lisa.