This was a very neat episode. We get all kinds of tidbits here. The return of Tessa, the Reaper beauty from season 2's IMTOD; another great appearance - and sadly, death - of recurring fave, Pamela; the return of presumed-dead Alastair; and more Winchester rivalry peppered throughout.
The biggest thing that got to me, of all things, was the Reaper deal. So the demons are out to kill Reapers, which is one of the seals to break. But completing the task was a wild adventure indeed. See, the bros had to become ghosts - very literally - in order to stop this next attack on a seal. Along the way they encounter another ghost, the one of a young boy named Cole who was hanging in the veil, not wanting to leave his grief-stricken mother. But with a little guidance and encouragement from Dean, Cole was released from this prison in order to pass safely on to the other side. It helped that Tessa was on board to lend a hand, too. But not before Cole helped the bros with some pretty nifty ghostly fighting maneuvers and tricks, something that will undoubtedly help in their hunting in the future, making them more aware of how to protect themselves and fight against the enemy by knowing a bit more of how this sort of thing works in a supernatural perspective.
The boys passing into the other side was reminiscent of last years DALDOM, but instead of walking in dreams, this was a little more riskier and definitely more controlled as they roamed freely about in the world but just through the veil, hence the risk. Then theres Pamela, who sent the boys into the veil to begin with but couldve pulled them out at any time. And for the record, I am sorry to see the death of her character. I loved Pamela. I really wish we couldve gotten more with her, she had such great chemistry and humor with Sam and Dean. Still, it made for an exciting climax to the ep.
As I said above, thanks to our little friend Cole for teaching the boys some wild ghost moves for fighting, moving things by sheer concentration, and even teleporting. But they also get a taste of the not-so-pleasantries, too. Such as being repelled by iron and rock salt. Always loopholes, huh? But, like I also said, it should give them more perspective on how they deal with future enemies of the dearly departed variety.
So Alastair didnt perish after all, huh? Dudes back and nastier than before. Plus hes got a yen to kill Reapers - 2 to be precise - as this is the breaking of one of the seals. And, of course, Tessa is in town so naturally shes an unwilling contender/victim. But something interesting happens with Alastair in this episode: he has depleted in his immunity to Sams powers. Actually, Sam has grown more powerful on his own, so it makes sense that Alastair starts to waver at least a little under Sams weight. But hes not entirely beaten yet. Sam has obviously still got a ways to go before he can do any real major damage to Alastair. Speaking of Sams powers, Pamelas dire warning to him at eps end was really freaky and ominous. Even she can feel that Sam is headed towards darkness with his growing powers, so things are definitely starting to get goosebumply regarding him.
I gotta give Dean a major kudos this time around. He has really turned some corners this season, and this ep showcases a lot of this about him. The most being the whole miracles thing. While he and Sam were discussing possible causes of their case at the beginning, he seemed really quick to jump on the whole miracles happen train. I mean, Dean is the one who started out the series as the skeptic, and because of his experiences with angels this season - as well as everything that lead up to that point - his faith has done a total 180. In a way, I believe this has helped him understand Tessas job. She stated that people lie to themselves whenever they deal with death, but that is because people are scared of whats on the other side. He encouraged Cole to go with Tessa, and even stated that he wanted to go with her way back when he first met her. Any other time he probably wouldve done all he could to stop her. But he realizes that staying behind would be worse than watching living loved ones in pain. And then, Tessa had to lessen it by telling him that there were no such things as miracles. Its possible he already knew this deep down, but from his perspective, he more than likely used it as a device to ease Coles and even Pamelas fears of passing on. And perhaps even his own for future reference.
Deans interactions with Alastair were interesting, too. Its clear there is some very unfinished business here, which will make for some really intriguing viewing later on. Makes me wonder what Alastairs plans for Dean are, other than the obvious. Because we now have a powerful demon and a pair of angels all jockeying for Deans soul - or just Dean, period, whatever. Either way, this is important as it was made blatantly clear that Dean is destined for something special also, much as Sam was always slated to be something special. And speaking of little bro, no surprise that Dean still harbors some resentment over the events of the last ep when they fought while under the sirens spell. Sam seems to want to get past it (no surprise there, either) but Dean obviously still bears a grudge. It seems Dean feels his importance to the job is, well, not, even when everything he goes through tells him different. And I believe his feelings of self-inadequacy stem from his inferiority to Sam. Lets face it, Sam is his whole world right now, but hes far from inferior to him. If anything, being helped out of the pit by an angel should at least warrant a one-up over Sams powers at this point. And even Tessa, being a mere Reaper, told Dean that she knows that great things are in store for him. As well as Castiel, who surprisingly shows up at the end to capture Alastair, makes a point to Dean about how Dean always does the opposite of what Cas asks of him, hence the deceptive skills of Cas to imitate the earlier call from Bobby in order to enlist the brothers help in stopping the breaking of the seal, claiming it a victory. Further showing Deans importance after all.
Bits and Pieces:
- The new actor playing Alastair was an extremely wise choice. Very creepy flavor added to the character.
- Deans reaction in the cemetery scene where he and Sam were working the mojo to having no answer for once to what they were up to was hilarious and delivered just right from Jensen Ackles.
- The way the bros - in ghost form - saw those demonic signs on the side of that building was a cool new twist to the mythology of the show: only being able to see them while walking in the veil.
- R.I.P. Kim Manners. Very tragic, my heart goes out to his family, friends and the rest of the cast and crew of Supernatural who had the utmost privilege of working with such a talented man.
Im rating this ep a perfect 10. Next ep looks like Dean has a showdown with Alastair. That has definitely gotta rock. Until next time....moreless
EDIT
Episode Summary
Sam and Dean seek help from Pamela, who sends the brothers to the spiritual realm. They discover Alastair attempting to break the seal causing mayhem in the mortal world by stopping death from occurring in a small town.
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Jensen Ackles
Dean Winchester
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Jared Padalecki
Sam Winchester
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Misha Collins
Castiel
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
See All-
Trivia
ADD TRIVIA- When Pamela starts bleeding, we see blood covering her hand. However, in all the shots following, she is covering her wound with her hand but there's no blood on it. Edit
- Even though they're in spirit form, Sam and Dean's condensed breath can be seen when they're speaking in the cold outdoor scenes. Edit
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Notes
ADD NOTES- International Airdates: Denmark: April 19, 2009 on TV3 UK: April 26, 2009 on ITV2 Australia: June 15, 2009 on Channel TEN Norway: July 2, 2009 on FEM Portugal: August 3, 2009 on AXN Sweden: September 20, 2009 on Kanal 5 Spain: December 7, 2009 on AXN Germany: January 18, 2010 on Sky Cinema Hits Poland: May 21, 2010 on TVN7 New Zealand: May 26, 2010 on TV2 Czech Republic: August 20, 2010 on Prima COOL Finland: July 19, 2011 on Sub Edit
- The episode ended with an in memoriam to long-time director and executive producer Kim Manners, who died January 25, 2009. Edit
- Christopher Heyerdahl takes on the role of Alastair, previously played by Mark Rolston. Edit
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Quotes
ADD QUOTES- Pamela: Tell me something, geniuses. Even if you do break into the Veil and you find the Reaper. how are you going to save it? Dean: With style and class. Edit
- Tessa: You don't remember me? Dean: Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that… Edit
- Dean: How the hell are we supposed to fight that? Sam: I don't know. Learn some ghost moves? Dean: By tonight? Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's. Cole: Who's Mr. Miyagi? Edit
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Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS- Pamela: I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel/demon, Soc/Greaser crap. This is a reference to S.E. Hinton's 1967 novel The Outsiders. The book's plot centers on two rival groups of teenagers, the Socials (Socs) and the Greasers, who come from opposite sides of town and opposite socioeconomic groups. Edit
- Title: References the 1934 movie Death Takes a Holiday, starring Fredric March as Death, who decides to disguise himself as a prince and live as a mortal. Edit
- Dean: Last I checked, Huggy Bear isn't available. Referencing the supporting character Huggy Bear Brown (Antonio Fargas) from the TV series Starsky and Hutch. Huggy was the cops' jive-talking but ever-loyal underworld contact. Edit
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