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Supernatural Season 6 Episode 8

All Dogs Go to Heaven

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8.6

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/12/10

Sam and Dean discover the Alpha skinwalker's plan: create sleeper cells of his kind and turn them loose upon humanity. To find and stop the Alpha, the brothers need the help of a skinwalker that has taken the form of a dog and befriended its human family.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (20)

You disappoint me, Winchesters

5.0

By UltraStrata, Oct 29, 2011

This episode is so stupid. It was the worst one so far. I can't believe that I'm saying that in light of how good the last one was. I kind of expected some sort of breakthrough but no dice. Instead, this episode settled for a cheap, backlot rip off of so many dog movies that exist already. It's kind of like Hotel for Dogs or Because of Winn Dixie only taken to Supernatural extremes. The only high moments that I saw were Dean's skill with a sniper rifle and finding out that the Alpha Skinwalker is busy putting together a plan to make his own army as well. So it seems that a war is coming and every Alpha is trying to put together a large army to be ready. I suppose the ending was kind of sad, but Fido/man deserved it. He was murdering people. No possible stretch of the imagination makes that right. He should have told his family about the plan and helped them to escape rather than playing chicken for his town's ring-leader.moreless
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I really admire this show for exploring the grey areas.

9.5

By Katiki, Jun 30, 2011

I really admire this show for exploring the grey areas.

They don't just show good and evil as being all black and white. Even when characters and critters are firmly at the evil end of the spectrum, it's never monochromatic or monotone. Evil comes in many shades: there's the over-the-top hateful evil of Azazel, the sexy taunting evil of Meg, the fake-compassionate self-righteous evil of Lucifer, the fun playful evil of Crowley, the Machiavellian manipulative evil of Ruby, the mindless hungry evil of man-eating monsters, etc.

And sometimes, there's even the not-so-evil evil. There was Lenore, the vegetarian vampire. And Madison, the unaware werewolf. And now we have Lucky, the hangdog skinwalker. He was pitiful in a way, like an abused dog that clings to the first hand that scratches it behind the ear. And although he killed people-ripped them open and ate their hearts-he did it to protect his family. In spite of him being a skinwalker, and in spite of his crimes, I felt sorry for him when he had to walk away in the end, once again alone and homeless. I don't see how it could have ended any other way, aside from being put down by a silver bullet. But it was nonetheless sad.

The show also explores nuances on the good side of things. The heroes are never shown to be perfect or saintly. They are flawed and sinful. Often they don't get to choose between right and wrong, they can only pick between wrong and less wrong. They struggle with moral questions and finding the lesser evil. They fall, and they fail. The writers have always been bold in going even further with Sam. I remember a line from "Monster at the End of this Book" when Chuck tells Sam he never included his addiction to demon blood in his writings. When Sam asks why, Chuck replies: "I was afraid it would make you look unsympathetic." The real writers for whom Chuck is the fictional avatar had no such fears, or if they did, they overcame them. In this season, they have gone so far as removing Sam's soul. In this episode, they have gone so far as to make Sam confess just how cold and callous and uncaring he really is-even when it comes to his own brother. In some ways, this Sam is even more chilling than the one who was chugging from a demon's open veins. That one still cared at least, even if he was extremely misguided and off-track.

As much as my mind admires their guts and their ideas when it comes to shading Sam's character, I'm at a point where my heart is going: "Give me my Sammy back!" I reckon I understand their thinking: they wanted there to be a loved one to be saved as the story arc of season 6, Sam had just taken a sacrificial swan dive into the pit, so he was the obvious candidate. However, they couldn't have a season of Sam being absent because he's locked up in the cage, so they hatched the idea of springing his body but keeping his soul hostage. And because they like pushing Sam's character to the edge, they figured it would be really interesting to go from a revenge-driven addict to a conscience-free hunting machine. And they're right, it is interesting. But perhaps what they didn't take into account is that after two years of Sam being a demon junkie and satanic vessel, and his mistakes causing a rift between the brothers, that fans might want to see Sam as he would be when he is not supernaturally fubar, and see Sam and Dean mend their brotherly bond. I can't speak for everyone else, but that is certainly how I feel.

However, I still love the show and I am entertained and enthralled, so I'm willing to wait for them to save Sam's soul. (But there had better be a really satisfying pay-off!)moreless
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It's Not the Dog in the Fight, It's the Fight in the Dog!

8.0

By lenzinoH20, May 20, 2011

All Dogs Go to Heaven-Sam and Dean discover the Alpha skinwalker's plan: create sleeper cells of his kind and turn them loose upon humanity. To find and stop the Alpha, the brothers need the help of a skinwalker that has taken the form of a dog and befriended its human family.

Well I was wondering why an episode about werewolves would be called "All Dogs Go to Heaven" and it was a surprised to say the least with the monster of the week being Skinwalkers. But while a decent twist, the Skinwalkers aren't exactly the most interesting villains. They're just a bunch of poeple who turn into dogs and when it comes to the final showdown, Dean and Sam dispose of them pretty easy by just shoting them all. Not really a threat at all. The real story this week is in Lucky, who is a skinwalker who gets very close to the family he was sent to. I was actually pretty sadden by this aspect of the story and the scene where Lucky is rejected by his family after his cover was revealed was heartbreaking, especially seeing him walk down the street as a dog where no where to go. I know it sounds dumb and cheesy, but the writers actually made it work.

The only real other interesting development was Sam coming completely clean with Dean since the whole soul reveal. I glad Sam acknowledge that he doesn't care about Dean or his relationship with Lisa or his son. At the beginning of the episode, I found it hard to believe that Sam actually was trying to convince Dean that there was still apart of the real Sam in him beacuse the truth is, there isn't, not even a little. I like that Sam realized he isn't Sam, at least the Sam we knew and loved but wants to that Sam back. But the problem with this is, this time, Dean carries the emotional weight of this situation alone. I'm so use to Sam and Dean always dealing with these issues, whether together or not, in some secretly heartbreaking way or unleashing their emotions on their betetr half, but Dean is the only one who cares about anything now and it was truly devastating to here Sam say he barely cares about Dean anymore. It's a tough new dynamic to swallow here and it just makes me want the old Sam back even more! Either way, it's a solid episode for what it's worth and Crowley, even in a cameo-like appearence, makes any episode quality!moreless
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Sam and Dean get their first job for Crowley

8.4

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, May 20, 2011

And so begins the Winchester's employment under Crowley the demon. I was surprised when the season went in this direction, and I must say, I'm glad it did. It's something they've never done before and it helps to keep us in the dark about what exactly will happen in the end. That being said, the episode started off about Sam and Dean being forced to hunt down an Alpha werewolf and ended with them helping a skinwalker defeat a group of other skinwalkers. In the end, there was no Alpha to capture, just another case that was stand-alone. However, it wasn't completely stand-alone.

Sam and Dean thought for nearly half the episode that they were chasing a werewolf and it's fun to see their theories go down the toilet until they narrow it down to what it actually is. It's nice to see, for once, that the guy they're after doesn't end up dying or even being the bad guy. The parallel between the skinwalker and Dean's relationship with Lisa is emotional and adds a new layer to the show that it hadn't done often.

Another interesting part is the way it ends: Sam finally admits he's not the same old Sam. After spending the last couple of episodes exclaiming, "I'm your brother, I swear!" he finally comes out and admits he's not the same, but he remembers how he used to be and he wants to get back to that. For people saying this season is not as good, they should open their eyes. It's certainly starting to pick up, and the atrocious season premiere is a thing of the past now.moreless
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Throughly Disgusted

1.0

By TrixieStethin, Apr 10, 2011

This episode proved Kripke was right about ending the series after only 5 seasons. Any animal lover would hate that ending, the poor dog who protected that family is now abandoned and who knows about it's future. The boys, PLEASE. Sam needs to get over himself, we've had so many seasons about him and only 1 that focused on Dean. It was hinted that this season would focus on Dean and so far it's been Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. Honestly, I now need something new to watch on Friday nights. Out of the seven episodes of this season the only good one has been Weekend at Bobby's. Sera Gamble should the embarrassed.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Jared Padalecki	Sam Winchester
Jensen Ackles	Dean Winchester

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Janet Kidder	Amanda Duren	Guest Star
Andrew Rothenberg	Lucky	Guest Star
John Mann	Skinwalker Lieutenant	Guest Star
Mark Sheppard	Crowley	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (7)
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- Crowley: Werewolves turning on the full moon. How '09.
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- Sam: Look. This is a crap situation. I get it. But Dean, I am still me. Same melon, same memories. I still like the same music. I still think about Susie Eiser.
  Dean: Biology class Susie Eiser?
  Sam: Can you blame me?
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- Detective: Feds?
  Sam: Yeah.
  Detective: What are the Feds doing here?
  Sam: Oh, we're specialists. They call us in to answer the questions of mouth-breathing dick-monkeys.
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- Sam: Boy, Cal doesn't know when to quit.
  Dean: Three scuzzy bars, one scuzzy strip joint, a chili dog joint, seven or eight nightcaps, and now Scotches in the library. I'm getting cirrhosis just watching this.
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- Sam: Roll over, Lucky. Speak.
  Lucky: Go to hell.
  Sam: Already been. Didn't agree with me.
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- Lucky: Me, I was living on the streets. They found me, they told me one small bite, I'd be strong, I'd be fast.
  Dean: Sniffing people's butts. Yeah, that's a real step up.
  Lucky: Well, it was for me.
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- Sam: Look, I don't know if how I am is better or worse. It's different. You get the job done, and nothing really hurts. It's not the worst thing. But... I've been thinking. I was that other Sam for a long time. And it was... it was kinda harder. But there are also things about it I remember that I... Let's just say I think I should go back to being him.
  Dean: That's very interesting. It's a step.
  Sam: So?
  Dean: We do what we got to do. And we get my brother back.
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NOTES (1)
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- International Airdates:
  Norway: February 25, 2011 on FEM
  Sweden: April 22, 2011 on Kanal 5
  Australia: June 6, 2011 on ELEVEN
  UK: July 27, 2011 on Sky LIVING
  Spain: October 24, 2011 on AXN
  Finland: January 8, 2013 on Sub
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ALLUSIONS (7)
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- Dean: Agents Holt and Wilson.
  Referencing the 1981 movie Wolfen, based on the 1978 novel by Whitley Strieber. which features intelligent animal-like creatures that fight back against the encroachment of a development company on their ghetto hunting grounds. Holt and Wilson are the two police officers, Eddie Holt (Edward James Olmos) and Dewey Wilson (Albert Finney).
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- Dean: Let me get dressed, Robocop.
  Referencing the 1987 science fiction movie, RoboCop, which features a policeman who is killed and then used as the basis for a project that turns him into an emotionless cyborg law enforcement officer.
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- Sam: Masterful deduction, Sherlock.
  Referencing the famous fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. Sherlock Holmes is a consulting British detective who lives at 221B Baker Street. His roommate, partner, and chronicler is Dr. John H. Watson, a former Army surgeon.
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- Sam: Dogs and cats living together--mass hysteria.
  Referencing the 1984 comedy movie Ghost Busters. In it, Ghost Buster Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray describes the coming apocalyptic events by saying to the mayor of New York: "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"
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- Dean: Where's this little Scooby Gang of yours?
  Referencing the Hanna-Barbera star Scooby-Doo, the canine star of several animated series who's teamed with the gang of Mystery Inc. in solving various cases involving (typically fake) ghosts and monsters. The group is typically referred to as the Scooby Gang, and includes Fred, Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy.
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- Dean: Thanks, Dexter, that's reassuring.
  Referencing the psychopath Dexter Morgan, created by author Jeff Lindsay and featured in five novels and a TV series starring Michael C. Hall. Dexter is a bloodstain pattern analyst by day, and a serial killer who only stalks and kills murderers by night.
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- Title:
  Referencing the animated film of the same name by Don Bluth, 1989. All Dogs Go to Heaven is about a dog called Charlie (voiced by Burt Reynolds) who is killed by his old partner Carface and ends up in Heaven. Seeking revenge he tricks his way back to Earth, knowing that doing so his soul is damned to Hell. While plotting his revenge and having nightmares of his journey to Hell, he finds that he is going to have to work hard to earn his place back in Heaven.
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