When The Levee Breaks

Season 4, Episode 21, Aired
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Episode Summary

Sam is locked in Bobby's panic room to cleanse his body from demon blood. However, after several seals are broken Bobby wants to set Sam free to help stop the Apocalypse and Dean seeks out Castiel for help.
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Fan Episode Reviews (25)

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  • Sam seems to be the strong one physically, but Dean is the strong one mentally. The brother take different choice to save each other.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By c07111, May 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    It seems all the episodes lately make you think Dean is the weak one, but this episode clarified alot for me. Dean is the stronger of the brother, because he knows what it is like to lose yourself to evil. He did in hell, and he was just trying to get Sam not to repeat what he did. Sam's alliance with Ruby is disappointing at best. The Sam of the day would have seen her ruse, but Ruby has Sam exactly where she wants him. He believes everything she says, without hestitation. It would be ironic if the story of Lilth being the only one to break the last seal isn't true and it's actually Ruby. It said the oldest and we know nothing of Ruby except what she tells Sam. Dean knows what Ruby is and what she's capable of, but he has other things to think of now. The fact the angels seem untrustworthy is bothersome at best, but Castiel must have had a good reason to do what he did. It was heartbreaking to see Sam so coldly dismiss Dean. Dean was absolutely right when he asked Sam who was he getting revenge for in trying to kill Lilth because Dean was in front of him fine. Sam has gone to the darkside, but I know Dean will save him in the end. After all Dean is the protector of Sam. I just wish Sam would remember that.moreless

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    1 1

  • Kind of predictable

    7.0
    "Good"
    By tvfem76, Apr 21, 2010 Report Abuse
    *************Spoiler Alert***************************

    When I first saw the previews for this episode, I figured that it would be intense which it was but I felt like something was missing from this episode. Some parts of this episode were slow while other parts were predictable. I felt that Genvieve Cortese's performance as Ruby was really flat while Jensen and Jared's acting was superb. Judging by what happened in this episode and the previews, it is starting to look like Sam has reached the point of no return. I was hoping that Dean would be able to pull him back from the dark side but I don't think that's going to happen. All season long the angels have not been all that trustworthy and that continued to be the case in this episode. I am just wondering what is the angels endgame? Many other questions have been raised throughout this season which should make next week's season finale a very interesting one.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    6 13

  • Sam Winchester: Portrait of a Monster

    10
    "Perfect"
    By onebuffchick, Sep 06, 2009 Report Abuse
    Well, it's finally happened. The you-know-what has officially hit the fan. And about time, too. They say the truth will set you free, and it usually does, but it also brings consequences. And oh Margaret, does it ever do so here! Sam's lies comes back to bite him in that oh-so-scrumptious rump of his as he fights to control his role in the apocalypse while pissing Dean off at the same time, ultimately resulting in a rather harsh ending to the ep. Absolutely superb stuff going on here.

    Picking up where we left off last ep, Sam is locked in Bobby's demon panic room in order to be "cleansed" of his demon blood addiction. This results in a manifestation of various characters (Alastair, Sam's younger self, Azazel, Mary, and even Dean) appearing to Sam in vast hallucinations that, by the end, yields a realization that it is a conversation Sam is having with his inner self. Or at least, it appears that way at first. For example, Sam's younger self appeared and practically berated him for his choices in his life. This was by far the clearest inner conflict. That is until Azazel takes form in Young Sam and it's realized that all these hallucinations were brought on by the evil forces, causing even more conflict on Sam's conscience. The most interesting of these was the Dean hallucination. It pretty much cements what has been feared for a long time now: Sam traveling down a dark road toward badness. He has officially been labeled a monster, and not just from the hallucinations, but from Dean himself at the end. It's clear now that whatever Sam's good intentions have been with all the lying and demon blood drinking to enhance his powers have all been for a darker purpose, whether Sam realizes it or not.

    Sam has indeed taken the dark path. His lies and conniving ways have brought him to a point that has not only labeled him badly but has also put a tremendous burden on himself and those closest to him. He should've listened to his younger self back in the panic room. Even in his adult self he's making bad choices, causing further strains. The biggest key to this ep for me was his fight with Dean at the end. When Dean formally pronounces Sam a monster, after Sam pleads with Dean to trust him for once. But what Sam obviously failed to realize is that trust goes both ways. He chose to lie to Dean and keep secrets from him instead of telling Dean flat out. Sam said he always trusted Dean because they were brothers, but there's more than that. Dean has really had no reason to lie to Sam about anything, regardless of the excuse of trying to protect him and all that. So, given that, Sam really had no right to ask for Dean's trust now. Not to be harsh, but that's basically how I see it. Of course, Sam was always the more protected child of the 2 so perhaps he felt he had no choice but to trust Dean, which is a conditioned thing. But now that free will prevails, times have changed. And all that Sam has done to himself over the course of the season has lead to this point, and deservedly so. Still, it doesn't make the sitch any less terrible. One thing Sam doesn't deserve was the remark from Dean about walking out the door and never coming back. Sorry, I felt a twinge of a Joyce/Buffy moment there, but this was a little more powerful. Could've been just one last desperate attempt to shake Sam down, but whether Dean really meant that or not I have yet to see next ep, but either way it will change the dynamic between them even more. How, exactly, is yet to be seen. On top of that, the actual physical fight between them was by far their worst yet, ending with Sam looking truly ready to strangle Dean to death. That alone was just frightening, so maybe Dean's threat to Sam walking out and never returning was heartfelt after all....(Ooohh, chills!) But what is truly sad is that even after all this Sam deeply believes what he's doing is for the greater good. So of course it breaks his heart to yearn for that trust only to have it rejected and humiliated with a label.

    Ruby, for all the good she does to help the bros despite being a demon, seems to have gained way more influence over Sam than Dean has. And despite her inherent goodness, this is just wrong. Because it means Sam has embraced his demonic roots strongly, much to Dean's dismay, hence Dean's gradual lack of trust in Sam. And Dean knows this which is why he is intent on killing Ruby even though he recently came to somewhat accept her as an ally. Still, she's always been kind of a threat to his relationship with Sam, so maybe Ruby can't be trusted herself after all. I was starting to get the vibe here that she seems to be playing for her own agenda, but that might just be paranoia on my part. Time will tell. Poor Dean just can't seem to get a break. He gets literally pulled out of Hell only to walk into all this. He finds out angels and God really do exist, shooting his atheism completely out the window; he learns later on that not only is he the starter of the apocalypse but will also be the one to end it; and now he has seemingly kicked Sam out of his life after calling him a monster - the one thing he deep down was always afraid of. And the latter of this happening right when the rest of the seals are rapidly being broken, the apocalypse getting brighter on the horizon. For what it's worth though, Dean genuinely showed regret and sadness for what he did to Sam in this ep. But that did not deter him from meaning those things. Aside from facts, Dean relies on gut instinct, which has almost always been right. But will it work whenever he tries to heal things between him and Sam? The 2 scenes with Castiel were great in the fact that they left us with a couple minor cliffhangers, which hopefully will be resolved in the finale next episode. First, the scene between him and Dean was interesting because Cas more or less made Dean officially become a warrior for the angel side. What Dean's true role will be in this is still up for question. Next, the scene between Cas and Anna was even more interesting because not only do we see Anna dragged off by 2 other angels for God knows what reason (no pun intended), but we are left with the burning question of why did Cas free Sam from the panic room - which is exactly what happened earlier. Does Cas have his own agenda too? Can't wait to find out.

    Bits and Pieces:
    - Nice little character continuity: Rufus calling Bobby. Even though we didn't get to see Rufus or even hear his voice, I hope we get that privilege in the future.

    Perfect 10 ep. Really brilliant stuff happening on the eve of the finale, which is next and I can't wait to see how the season ends after all this angst.moreless

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    3 0

  • dean and bobby lock sam in the panic room to perform a full on demon detox, meanwhile seals are breaking everywhere. Sam and dean are on the edge with there relationship.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By tashaJJ, May 16, 2009 Report Abuse
    Supernatural has pulled me in for so long and i fell in love with sam and dean's relationship.But this episode tore apart everything. I loved the beggining,sam locked in the panic room and halucinating and bobby and dean listening to his cry's for help. I loved the spin on sam's character in the end. This was one of my favourite episodes this season. It made me cry, scream and over all made me thirsty for more. Supernatural has delivered. Cant wait for the season finale. Hope it's as good as this episode. .. . .. . . Supernatural Rocks my socks offmoreless

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    0 0

  • Bobby and Dean lock up Sam in Bobby's panic room in order to detox him from his demon blood addiction.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By pumacat7, May 12, 2009 Report Abuse
    Well the levee has definitely broken. Whether or not it can be repaired is the big question. But after this episode the chances don't look good. I was all about a little Sam vs. Dean action but now that it is here...I'm so sad and heart broken for them. I know we have seen rifts between them in the past but the line has been drawn. There is just no going back from what happened between them! Bobby and Dean lock Sam up in Bobby's panic room in order to cleanse him from his demon blood addiction. Bobby becomes a little hesitant of their choice and wonders if they shouldn't let Sam go to help them with their fight against Lilith. He is concerned that the detox is killing Sam. Dean refused to let Sam go and says he would rather have Sam die human then let him out and have him turn into a monster. While detoxing Sam hallucinates seeing himself as a child, being tortured by Alistair and even hallucinates seeing Mary, who consoles and justifies his actions. Sam's hallucination with Mary really irked me. I know he needed redemption or rather confirmation for his actions but to hear Mary say those things about Dean just got under my skin! And Cass...WTF! I'm sure, or hoping rather, that he will come around because since his trip back to heaven his actions have become very ummmdick like. We learn he is the one who sets Sam free from the panic room and he is also responsible for sending Anna back to heaven. You can see in his eyes he is struggling with his choices but he still continues to serve God no matter what the consequence. I'm still reeling that he let Sam out but more than that he betrayed Dean! And the ending...what more needs said! Sam chooses Ruby over Dean. He calls Dean weak and says he is the only one capable of taking down Lilith. The boys go at it and Sam ends up choking Dean. Dean, lying on the floor, tells Sam "if you walk out that door, don't ever come back". Sam walks out.
    We are in for one heck of a finale, and one heck of a long summer.moreless

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    3 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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  • Notes

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    • International Airdates: UK: June 14, 2009 on ITV2 Denmark: June 28, 2009 on TV3 Australia: July 27, 2009 on Channel TEN Norway: August 13, 2009 on FEM Portugal: September 14, 2009 on AXN (Double episode) Sweden: November 1, 2009 on Kanal 5 Spain: January 25, 2010 on AXN Germany: February 8, 2010 on Sky Cinema Hits Poland: July 2, 2010 on TVN7 New Zealand: July 14, 2010 on TV2 Czech Republic: October 1, 2010 on Prima COOL Finland: August 30, 2011 on Sub Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Dean: Congrats, Sammy. You just bought yourself a benchwarmer seat to the Apocalypse. Edit
    • Dean: How long is this gonna go on? Bobby: Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual. Oh, wait. No one ever wrote one. Edit
    • Dean: Well, it's about time. I've been screaming myself hoarse out here for about two and a half hours now. Castiel: What do you want? Dean: Well, you can start with what the hell happened in Illinois? Castiel: What do you mean? Dean: Cut the crap. You were gonna tell me something. Castiel: Well, nothing of import. Dean: You got ass-reamed in Heaven but it was not "of import"? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Dean: I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan. Referencing one of the most popular races from the Star Trek series, as immortalized by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series. Typically a race that deeply suppresses its emotions, the reference here is to the Vulcans as shown in Star Trek: Enterprise, where they are shown as a much more underhanded and manipulative race, prior to their embracing pure rationality and logic. Edit
    • Title: References to the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, which was a rerecording of an old blues song in the 30s. Edit

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