Dean, this scene was much darker when the episode aired.
Phew! Sigh of relief! Thank the lord! With the last few episodes making me completely forget about the early missteps of Season 6, it's safe to say that Supernatural is officially back on track. And last Friday's episode reminded us so much of past seasons: perfectly standalone while also developing the ongoing storyline of the current season. And that shocking ending didn't hurt, either.
"You Can't Handle the Truth" dealt with compulsive honesty, and proved that lying and deception are part of the fabric of society, a glue of white lies that keeps things intact. And it was perfectly coordinated with Dean's belief that Sam was lying to him about being fine after his vacation in Hell. It makes you appreciate how the writers hammer out the season-long storyline and fit standalone premises into it in a way that isn't too intrusive.
It does take a bit of faith to believe that Dean and Sam would work together (mostly) like normal on these cases, what with Dean thinking he may be working with the Devil and all. But it's a leap I'm willing to take in understanding that Supernatural is, at its heart, an anthology series and not a regular TV drama. Thankfully, these standalone stories are loads of fun and, as I've said before, don't interfere with the longer arcs but anchor and build on them.
There's no reason to sit around and discuss the standalone component in detail, but I will say I loved the waitress' suicide and the dentist's unscheduled root canal of that pervert's brain. That's good stuff. Trademark Supernatural gore. But as usual, the things we really need to talk about here are Sam and Dean.
It's good to know that Sam, if he is to be trusted, is also in the dark about what's happening to him. All you Team Sam members were probably excited to know that the dreamboat isn't doing all this strange stuff intentionally. Of course, we know what's happening (or have a clue), thanks to the promo that followed the episode (by the way, why do they give away so much in their "next on Supernatural" promos?) SEMI-SPOILER ALERT: Sam looks like he's back, but he might be lacking a soul.
If that's the great revelation, then I'm on board. It's true that by removing Sam's soul, we're left with a Dean-centric season, and that might not be approved of by all fans. But this is a show that takes risks, and to keep it up to par in quality, something big had to be done.
Now let's talk about the ending. Yikes. That wasn't easy to watch, was it? And yet it was certainly easier to take than it would have been in previous seasons. Why? We've come to dislike Sam so much that we weren't as affected when we saw Dean punch his brains in. That's proof that the writers have done their job in getting us to gang up on a character we once adored. But why would Dean lose it like that and go that far? Does he still honestly believe Sam still isn't actually his brother? Discuss!
There's still some mop-up work to be done to keep Season 6 on an upward trajectory and worthy of being compared to previous seasons. First, Lisa needs to go. I don't know how, just kill her off or something. She's not really serving a great purpose at the moment, other than to remind us that part of Dean is tied-down emotionally. But we already know that. And besides, we all know she isn't good for Dean. Dean is at his best when he's got eyes for all the ladies instead of just one.
Something must also be done about the Campbells. I like Mitch Pileggi, but so far his addition to this season has been fairly worthless. Maybe Grandpa Campbell can pick up Lisa in a car and the two can take a wrong turn into an auto junkyard and get crushed into a cube. Sera Gamble, if you are reading this, that's a freebie.
Super-Note-urals:
... Bobby loves pedicures and Tori and Dean. I knew it!
... I'm still on board with the theory I posed last week: that the great civil war in heaven (talked about in Episode 603) is spreading to Earth, and the two sides are recruiting monsters to help them in the battle. The alpha vampire was talking to someone up top (Raphael?) who wants them to help him restart the Apocalypse. Raphael can give the monsters powers to break the typical rules.
... The goddess was very Canadian, wasn't she? If I was facing a terrifying goddess and she said "aboot," I think I'd die of laughter.
... Do you think we'll get the normal Sam back soon? Or will this be something that clears itself up before the end of the season, and will the majority of the season hinge on the civil war in Heaven?
Season 6 Episode Rankings
(We'll keep track of the quality of Supernatural's Season 6 episodes right here, splitting them up into three tiers.)
This week's episode, "You Can't Handle the Truth": Good stuff here, a very classic episode of Supernatural. More of this, please.
Classic, Rocking!
"You Can't Handle the Truth" - Where Dean gets the truth, and beats the tar out of Sam. Ep. 6
"Weekend at Bobby's" - We hang out with Bobby for a few days and see the crap he puts up with. Ep. 4
"Live Free or Twihard" - Vampires! And Sam is acting really weird. Ep. 5
Funky, but just Okay
"The Third Man" - The return of Castiel and a civil war in Heaven. Ep. 3
"Two and a Half Men" - Where Sam and Dean find a shapeshifter baby. Ep. 2
Disappointing as Disco
"Exile on Main St." - The season premiere. Ep. 1
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
I loved this episode. I literally, had my mouth open for the last 20 minutes due to the shock.
I love Supernatural no matter what (:
lol. Really, you guys are complaining about the accent comment? People whine about everything on these boards. gamgrl, you say "accent isn't relevant to the plot." Well, you're comment is relevant to the point of the article. If you all hate the writers so much, then don't read their posts. That simple. ANYWAYS... I agree with getting rid of Lisa. But if they kill her, then Dean has to be all mopey for a while, seeing as she's like the "love of his life" or whatever. The writers may not feel like dealing with that aspect right now. And I think they should wrap the Sam issue up within a couple episodes or so. Don't leave it hanging all season. We had a Sam cliffhanger last year, we don't need another.moreless
I agree with hh71. There's no need to bash accents in a review where the accent isn't relevant to the plot. I'm not even Canadian and I was irritated with that unnecessary jibe. There's funny, and there's lame, and this was just lame (and no, I'm not uptight, if you're thinking that, then that's lame too!)
All Cas says is that they would have felt it if Lucifer had escaped the cage and therefor concludes it isn't Lucifer. Feelings (even angelic ones I presume) are deceiving, if not treacherous. And with the Prince of Lies in play, who knows if Cas is not deceived. Even if it isn't Lucifer, there is a whole army of demons and devils to pick from, that could take a ride out of Hell when Sam "escaped"? (Or was is not an escape but an intended return, to do some evil). I for one find it very strange and am on the tip of my chair to see whats coming next. For me, season 6 rocks (save episode 1 that was a little too mushy) but otherwise not that bad.
I agree with Katneya totally. I have more sympathy for him now. What's happened to him now is not his fault. I'm not sure where the Campbell story is going but this week's episode looks very interesting. I like both Sam and Dean equally and I don't like to see them hit each other at all. I also agree that Raphael is orchestrating something and I think that he has Sam's soul. Yeah, too bad it's not Friday yet!!
@AnoukvdZee IMO Bobby always had his soul, what he took back was the contract...Witouth breaking the contract, in 9 years ( 10 in total ), the hellhounds would have killed Bobby and send his soul to hell.The demon does not care if a human lives with or without a soul IMO, but they have to kill them so they go to hell. When they die, they "own" the soul..."own" = the soul goes to hell, and the body dies.The psychic once took Sam and Dean soul from their bodies, but the soul still got a conection to the body, so they could jump back into their bodies when they defeat alastair in the whole reaper seal thing.
Who is this crappy writer and why take a shot at Canadians accents?Have you been to Boston you fool, there are plenty of accents that are different or odd but that is what makes them great you dope.Die of laughter? grow up you tool.
awesome!!! can't wait for the next one!!!!! i all ready seen the promo and locks so good!!!! to bad is not friday!
Loved this episode... Hoping Sam gets his soul back soon.
Awesome episode! But Sam may not deserved that much beating from Dean! Although Dean thought he was a monster wearing Sam so... Oh the angst these two brothers are going through! :D
I did really enjoy this episode, but I have to say, I really hate the fact that I have to hate Sam. When you have a show with as small a cast as Supernatural, it's very unfortunate when all I have is 1 main character, and 2 side characters (one of whom has only appeared in 2 episodes this season) to enjoy. I want to see the old Sam back. One of the best reasons I started watching this show was the great relationship between the two brothers, and seeing that in shambles for the last 2 and a half seasons has been really frustrating. Let's see some damn brotherly love again!
It was nice to see a fight between the brothers that Dean won. I mean most fights (at least recently) end with Sam beating the crap outta Dean it was nice to see it reversed for once
I just had this absolutely crazy idea: What if Lisa, at some point, got possessed by some demon in order for Hell to keep an eye on Dean, and now she's just messing with his head and trying to knock him off his game?That way, Dean has to kill her, so then he can send the boy to his grandparents or whatever and viola!, problem solved.
I agree with you Tim. I feel like we are back on familiar ground with the Supernatural we all know and love. And one thing we do know about this awesome show is that just when we have speculated and guessed to death, it comes back with something better than we imagined. I hope there are one or two more episodes like Weekend at Bobby's that remind us of how hilarious this show can be in the midst of all the seriousness and gore. I think Dean lost it because he was mad at the fact that after everything he's gone through with Sam, losing him to hell and getting him back, that wasn't his Sammy; he still has to find and fight for his brother.
one of the best episodes go go go team dean
I think all this seasons episodes were good , people expect to much and thats why writers get the big bucks to make up stories not civilians.
Dude, you ROCK!!!! I want Lisa and the freaking Cambpells out and please please please god make Sera read this and work with grandpa and Lisa junkyard theory!!! And the Raphael theory, that angel is scary, I'm starting to think he is really behind all this, but if he brought Grandpa back, did he also brought Sam??? That's my 64$ question.. And where the heck is Sam's soul???? Dying for the next ep!!!!
I've fronted the "Soulless!Sam"-theory for ages now, I want cred! ;)
Makes sense to me that it's his soul that's stuck in Hell, the physical aspect doesn't matter so much when you're in the non-corporeal realms of Heaven or Hell. If it's true, I hope they manage to finagle his soul back where it belongs - I'm a Dean-girl, but I want him to have his big baby brother back!
This episode was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!! I really loved it!!! About that ending scene, I was expecting a puch but not a hell of them!!!! Dean completely lost it there. As for Lisa, I agree, she needs to GO!!!
Supernatural has been fantastic, though I am hoping they put an end to this heaven/hell war. I want the show to be about more than this.
Go Team Sam!
I'm still a Sammy girl, always will be. Maybe you lost faith in him, but I still haven't (though him watching Dean get turned was hard to watch).
Tim, dude, the poodle-looking vampire guy from Twi-hard WAS NOT THE ALPHA VAMPIRE. The Alpha was the one that turned that poodle-vamp, the Alpha had a telepathic control over all of them (i.e., that trippy blood dream sequence was a link between the Alpha and all his victims). This episode rocked and once Sam breathed that sigh of relief at the end of the episode, I knew Dean was gonna land one in his pie-hole. I just didn't see the next baker's dozen coming...guess Sam didn't either.
@Shikady: you make a good point, but not completely true I think. Demons kill those who make a deal because they make them for a specific amount of time. Bobby gave his soul to Crowley who then wouldn't give it back. But we never got to see Bobby acting weird over that, so I'm not sure if they are gonna work that in (I didn't see the preview, but man, I stoked!). I loved this ep, especially when Dean started beating up Sam. And I agree that Lisa needs to be killed.
sam and dean always fight and made up but now it seems since season 4 their realtionship is getting worser and woser and its very annoying..since season 4 they fight and dont make up the writers keep adding to the brothers madness which makes it like so uncomfortable on tv to watch especailly now on season 6...ugh!
I loved it. Supernatural can do no wrong. It had laughter, drama and of cause gore, (I will never fell the same about Dentist). Everything we love about it. And the continuity of the plot has been there from the start. The hint about Sammy soul missing was there. And the plot about the Alphas looks like its going to be interesting. As the show progresses it just keeps getting better. I am so looking forward to see what happens.
i liked this episode - I laughed, when Dean was talking on the phone with Bobby, so funny!haven't done that for a long time, in a Supernatural episode
No, Castiel confirmed Sam is not Lucifer...that doesn't mean that he's not evil.
And I don't think Sam has no soul...No soul no body IMO, he should be alive if he has no soul..:There's a reason why demons kills the ones that made a deal, a body can't live without a soul, and you can't take a soul of a living body IMO.
I think Dean lost it because Sam 1) caused him to destroy his relationship with Lisa an Ben, and 2) forced him to see himself as a killer who's incapable of raising a family. Anyway, he owes Sam a couple of major beat downs (Swansong and When the Levee Breaks).One point against your Gabriel theory: The vampire (Boris) wasn't the Alpha -- that was the Alpha (and not Gabriel) he was giving the orders. Otherwise, I think you're right that there's some kind of War in Heaven-Return of the Alphas hookup.And while I agree that the last few episodes have been pretty good, they're still not quite hitting the narrative continuity of Seasons 1 and 2. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen a *lot* more of Veritas! (Did anyone else recognize her as the drop-dead gorgeous receptionist Dean flirted with in Salvation?)moreless
Well, Castiel confirmed to Dean that Sam is not the devil, so that's good news. I have been very suspicious of Sam this season, as most viewers have been. I observed two things from the ending scene: (1) Dean is very angry with Sam and needed to get that out of his system which he did by punching the crap out of him; (2) Sam knows he has not been honest with Dean and seemed to feel like he deserved a pounding so he did not stop Dean as he punched him. . . . I agree that the previews reveal too much sometimes. Finding out that Sam does not have his soul was shocking and upsetting. It certainly explains a lot, but also brings up lots of new questions, like where is his soul and can he get it back?moreless
supernatural is still brilliant
Orange Julius dumped Dean! //Sam has no soul. //This season rocks, despite what the minority may have you believe. //As an aside, Sam and Dean have been fighting for years, so I don't know why people act like they were bff's in every episode for the last 2 seasons. Simply not true.
I agree Shikady! Not feeling this season or Dr. Who's latest season either! My favorite episode this season was Weekend at Bobby's. Other than that, this season has been pretty blah.
I'm sorry, but I cant stand this season.
I feel like Dr Who season 5 all over again. It'll take me time to adjust to the changes. As good as Dr Who season 5 was, wasn't as good as season 1 to 4.
Season 6 of supernatural is not as good as Season 1 to 5. How to tell the story change, because the lead writter change...I'm hoping I get the same excitment to watch Supernatural every week as I did before, but so far the show is losing me.
The same hopes goes for Dr Who...and I hope Matt Smith dies soon.
i understand dean punching sam i mean i would do my lil brother like that if he was doing the stuff sam was doing but seeing it reminds of how much i hate their relatioship now..the brothers arent close anymore and that making this season hard to watch..
I thought Sam's I need help confession was creepy, sounded like Lucifers manipulative sweet talking to me
I think dean punched sam so that he could take him somewhere, maybe to samuel, and check things out more. I am sure there is something wrong with sam, whether it is supernatural or pscholdgical it seems pretty serious. anyway i think it was a punch with a purpose not an emotional one. I completely disagree about Dean's lady, sure it was fun to have bachelor dean around but story wise, let the boy become a man. beside if a character like dean doesn't have a serious love affair he risks becoming a cad as he gets older. I think its just the right move for his character development.
All I can say is that Dean punching Sam was so...Untimely! IN this you said we all were like, 'Oh whatev ' because Sam has been evil and crap but he was all, 'I need help' and then BAM Dean punches the crap outta him! WTF!!? DNW!
I know Sam has been acting really strange this season so far, but that hasn't made me hate him. In fact, I sympathize with him more now because he was brought back without a soul, presumingly against his will. The ending of this episode was shocking, to say the least. I was immediately reminded of Lucifer in Swan Song when he beat up Dean. Also, I love what you said about Lisa and Grandpa. I've never been a big fan of Lisa or Ben and, really, they just need to go. The entire Campbell clan is just annoying and I fail to see what purpose they're going to play in the long run. They've had about 5 minutes max screentime and yet they're so hated.