I Believe the Children Are Our Future

Season 5, Episode 6, Aired
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Episode Summary

Sam and Dean investigate reports of fairy tales come to life and find the young boy who is responsible, and has a power to create real creatures from fantasy. However, the brothers disagree when Castiel tells them to kill the boy because of the power he possesses.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (24)

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  • awesome

    10
    "Perfect"
    By rmz_boyz_2, Jun 19, 2011 Report Abuse
    a a a a aa a a a aa a a a a aa a a a aa a aa a aa aaaaaa a a aa a a a aa a a sa sa sa sa s as a saas a sas a sa sa sa sa s as a aa a i i ii i i i i i ii i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i imoreless

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    2 2

  • Truly scary episode ...

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Astardis, May 13, 2011 Report Abuse
    ... in the back of your mind.

    Sam and Dean have to deal with a pre-teen boy who can warp reality around him as he likes. No Lucifer, Armaggeddon or the entire host of angels can be more terrifying.
    During the whole encounter between Sam, Dean, Jesse and his possessed mother I had this deep underlying fear in my stomach. All the creatures the Winchesters have fought and discovered so far had their own reasons, their own rules. Be it hunger, survival, power or plain fun but all of those I could relate to. But such power in the hands of a young, unpredictable child is truly scary.moreless

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    2 0

  • nice steal from a twilight zone episode

    7.5
    "Good"
    By CECIL31, May 13, 2011 Report Abuse
    I love this episode, more directly the idea and creature behind this episode. Compared to Azazel/yellow eyes, this particular demon was/is a lot more creative. It makes me wonder how many other demon spawn it created to serve their cause. All it would take was one, and that one could either destroy or control the rest. These creatures could open the seals in the blink of an eye. And i think it's a safe bet we'll never see or hear about any one of these things ever again; it's too easy for the producers. Jesse could wipe out every 'Supernatural' thing that ever existed and that would pretty much be the end of the series. I tell you what would be the smart idea, take one of these things and create another Trickster, they're fun.moreless

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    0 1

  • A silly episode that quickly turns serious

    8.6
    "Great"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Dec 24, 2010 Report Abuse
    I thought this episode would be another goofy episode featuring the Winchester brothers attempting to solve another case unrelated to the Apocalypse and just having a good time with each other, but as it turns out, the writers misdirected me and surprised me. The weird featuers of this case (the urban myths coming true) ends up being the result of an extremely powerful demon who's sudden appearance attracts the interest of both Heaven and Hell.

    Don't get me wrong: there's still plenty of typical Sam and Dean moments, with Dean being obsessed with eating a ham that he zapped with a supernatural object, and a number of strange urban myths coming to life including.. well, let's just say it involves hairy palms.

    Castiel has been one of the best new characters the show has had, and his appearance in this episode made things that much more interesting. Of course, seeing him turned into a little action figure by a little eight or nine year old was entertaining, but he still brings this strange surreal feeling to every episode he's in. He's an angel, but he's more like Sam and Dean than he probably cares to realize. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the near future.

    Not a bad episode though. The sudden appearance of the child and the background on him definitely improved it for me and made things much more interesting.moreless

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    1 1

  • Another great episode, both surprising and expansive in terms of plot development. Dean and Sam encounter a boy who has the power to, unknowingly, warp reality to his own paradigms.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By mynameisjohnas, May 17, 2010 Report Abuse
    (Warning- spolier ahead)

    Since there's so much to discuss from this episode I'm not really sure where to start. As others have mentioned, the show's abilty to amalgamate genres has really been quite the treat to watch unfold and expand as the seasons have progressed. It seems to posses a seemingly effortless strength to sift from light and comedic tones to dark and dramitic ones on the drop of a dime which is not something many shows are able to do. Also, I think props are owed to the casting directors on SPN. They seem to have this uncanny knack for finding great guest actors who, even if they don't get a lot of screen time, still steal the frame when they're on. This time was no exception.

    However, what I really wanted to discuss was something I am surprised no one else has touched- Cas's definition of "the Anti-Christ" and its relation to Sam in earlier seasons. Half way through the show Castiel notes that the anti-christ is not Lucifer's child as is normally assumed, but simply a demon spawn- meaning any child derived from a the consumation of a demon and a human. This got me thinking about earlier episodes and seasons and remembering how in season 2 and 3 Sam is commonly reffered to by Gordon, demons, and others hunting him, as the anti-christ. It got me think about what if Gordon got it wrong? What if Sam wasn't "the anti-christ" but simply "an anti-christ"? Now, I have been wrong before on my predications and I certainly could be now, so exucse me if this sounds perposterous, but what if either John or Mary were possesed when they concieved Sam? As absurd as it might seem at first, it doesn't hurt to think about the facts supporting this argument. After all, we know Azazel, on Lucifer's orders (see the season 4 finale), was looking for a specific and special child. We also know that Azazel expresses interest in Mary in the season 4 episode "In the Beggining" and that when talking to Dean he notes that he's there "to choose the perfect parents, like your mommy....cause they're strong, they're pure, they eat their wheaties, my own little master race, they're 'ideal breeders'...(Dean looks at him). Oh get your mind out of the gutter. No one's breeding with me. Though Mary...man, I'd like to make an exception cause so far she's my favorite". To me that's a huge hint. What if Azazel, or some demon, on Azazel's orders, possesed Mary or John in order to concieve Sam? As this episode showed us, John wouldn't have even been needed since all a demon would have had to do was posses Mary and recreate inside of her. Following from that it would explain the detachment John always had towards Sam. I'm certainly not saying John didn't love Sam- there's no question given his overall actions throughout the years to protect Dean and Sam- however, it can't be denied there was always a rift between the two and that John always seemed at arms length. If either Mary or John couldn't remember conceiving Sam it could be that John suspected, after Mary's death, and his inquires into the nature of demons in the world, that there was somthing strange about his son. I mean he did tell Dean to kill Sam if he couldn't save him (something which has been mentioned again in passing during this season) because we assume he knew something of what Azazel was planning to use Sam for (although whether he knew about the seals or simply about the children opening the Gate to get Lillith free is unknown). Afterall, what kind of father asks his son to kill his other son? (and yes I am aware of the God, Michael and Lucifer metaphor here as well which is a whole other subject in SPN which others have already noted). From there, I'm brought back to episode 2 of season 3 where Ruby explains to Sam that all of his mother's old contacts and friends are dead because Azazel, or other demons killed them (just like Meg started doing to John's friends at the end of the first season). This has never been explained since it was brought up but If there was something strange about Sam and his birth, or after his birth for that matter (like Sam showing abilities), it isn't impossible that some of Mary and John's friends, hunters or non-hunters, would have also known something about it. Additionally, and just as importantly,it's worth referencing "In the Beggning" again where Azazel tells Dean that "I'm going to cover my tracks good" with reference to his overall end game.

    Lastly Sam has shown, albiet nothing to the same degree, some of the same abilities as Jesse does in this episode. In episode 14 of season 1, for example, he moves a cabinet without even touching it to save Dean. In the season 1 finale Azazel, when torturing the Winchestors at the cabin, mocks Sam and suiggests that he telekeneticly grab the Colt to free himself and his brother. It was almost like Azazel wanted to see if Sam had developed any more abilities which where potentially stored within but not yet accessible. This makes me wonder if all the special children were all actually anti-christ's. After all, each of the special kids showed individual powers of which Jesse posseses in full and some of them, like Ava, began to develop more powers as they began to increase there usage of them (see the 2 part finale of season 2 where Ava learns to control other demons). It could be that that the demon blood fed to all of them by Azazel was simply the equivilent of breast feeding. Remember again that during the episode, "In the Beggining" Azazel notes that "demon blood is better than oval, team vitamins and minerals. It makes you big and strong!".

    Anyways, those are just my thoughts. I could be wrong or I could be right on several of the theories. Only the end of this season will reveal the truth to which I'm happily waiting on pins and needles for.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • In the scene where Dean is testing the joy buzzer on the ham, he raises the shield on his safety glasses in shock when he turns to speak to Sam, but in the next cut when Dean goes to take them off his head the shield is back down again. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Airdates: Sweden: December 20, 2009 on Kanal 5 UK: March 10, 2010 on LIVING/LIVING HD Spain: September 27, 2010 on AXN Germany: January 17, 2011 on Sky Cinema Hits Czech Republic: August 12, 2011 on Prima COOL Edit
    • Injoke: The nurse that Dean hits on is named Fremont, a nod of the head to Anthony Fremont, the little boy with a similar power to alter reality with a thought, seen in the original Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life". The same injoke was used in season 3's "No Rest for the Wicked". Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Jesse: She said I was half demon. Is that true? Sam: Yes, but you're half human, too. You can do the right thing. You've got choices, Jesse, but if you make the wrong ones, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. Jesse: Why are you telling me this? Sam: Because I have to believe someone can make the right choice. Even if I couldn't. Edit
    • Sam: Dude, what the hell? Dean: I had a hunch I went with it. Sam: You risked my ass on a hunch? Dean: You're fine. Besides now we know who's turning this town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare. Sam: The kid. Dean: Yeah, everything Jesse believes comes true. He thinks the Tooth Fairy looks like Belushi, uh, joy buzzers really shock people, boom that's what happens. Sam: Yeah, but convince him that joy buzzers don't actually work and they go from killer machines back into crap toys. Dean: Probably doesn't even know he's doing it. How is he doing it? Edit
    • Sam: (seeing Dean's magically hairy palms) Oh, d-dude... that's not what I think it is, is it? Dean: I got bored. That nurse was hot. Sam: You know you can go blind from that, too. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Sam: Hit it, Mr. Wizard. Referencing Don Herbert, who rose to fame as Mr. Wizard, the creator and host of four science-based educational TV series. He first appeared on the air in 1951 and after the initial show was canceled after 547 episodes, went on to produce three similarly-themed television programs. Edit
    • Dean: That'll do, pig. Referencing the novel The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith, subsequently made into a popular movie, Babe, in 1995 with the screenplay by George Miller. Babe is a piglet adopted by Farmer Hoggett. Through a series of events, Hoggett discover that Babe can do anything that a sheep dog can. Hoggett says "That'll do, pig" in praise of Babe when he succeeds in a final contest. Edit
    • Dean: Cavity creeps get ahold of him? Referencing commercials for Crest toothpaste, which featured huge "Cavity Creeps" attacking the city of Toothopolis and chanting "We make holes in teeth!" Inevitably goodness and fluoride prevail as the cleaning power of Crest toothpaste drives them away. Edit

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