First Impressions: 3.16 No Rest For The Wicked

[raloria]

These are just my first impressions of this episode. My full-length review with caps will be posted later. This just gives me a chance to express my initial thoughts about the episode and touch on a few highlights.

With each of these First Impressions posts I'll include 2 cropped caps from the episode. One of Dean and one of Sam. I decided to do something different and make them b&w.

Consider these fanart. If you take either of them, please give credit. :)











Sorry for the long delay. I was unable to type up any notes during the initial airing of the episode (too busy watching and weeping internally), so these notes were just done almost 2 weeks later. It took me a while to get over the shock of the season finale. In fact, I still found the episode difficult to watch, just to type out these notes last night. I had to keep stopping and doing other things. It's as if I couldn't just sit and watch the whole episode at once. It was too much to take in that way.

These notes will be more detailed and less rambly than they usually are. I tried to keep them as short as I could. Note: "++++++++++" signifies a commercial break.


The Road So Far....”Carry On Wayward Son” .
The show's unofficial theme song. Very fitting to use it for the season finale once again.
Nice look back over the whole season, ending with Demon!Dean's warning of “You're gonna die! And this is what you're gonna become!” Oooh....*shivers*

I'm so ecstatic to finally see Dean have a nightmare!
Sleeping on a picture of a scary Hellhound can't be a good thing.

I like how even with only 30 hours left, Dean is still....Dean. He tries to deflect the doom of the situation by suggesting they go to Tijuana and have some fun. It's so very Dean.
I also love how resolved Sam is to save his brother.

“You're not going to go to hell. I'm not gonna let you.”

Then Dean sees Sam morph into a Hellhound, which is just freaky and cool looking at the same time. Jensen does a great job of registering so many emotions on his face in that moment.

Good old Bobby and his cool gismo! It narrows down Lilith's location to New Harmony, Indiana.
*giggles over Dean calling Sam “Tex”*
Love this intense scene of them arguing about summoning Ruby. Sam's past arguing about it, but Dean's not.

But Sam, summons Ruby anyway.
Little gripe here....I really don't like the hand-held camera work in this scene. Too much movement!
Sam want's the demon-killing ginsu....heehee!
Lilith's on R&R and Ruby says now is the time to strike. Time for Sam to use his special powers and that Lilith's scared of him. Sam's not biting...he doesn't trust Ruby.

Of course Dean knew Sam “wouldn't listen”.
Oooh.....lots of name calling.
Oh....don't call him dick, sweetheart....you're gonna pay for that.
Yep, she did. Hee!
Oooh....smackdown time!
But Dean came prepared.....he traps Ruby under a devil's trap and gets the knife! Yay!
Good to see Sam follow Dean up the stairs.

Best line of the night: “And I wish you'd shut your piehole but we don't always get what we want." LOL!!!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's brotherly heart-to-heart time....
Sam thinks Ruby might have a good idea with using his powers, but Dean's dead set against it.
Dean doesn't want Sam making another deal to save him.
Dean's very level-headed here...he's tired of them repeatedly sacrificing themselves for each other. He wants to go after Lilith their way, the way their dad taught them to.
I love how Sam is the one to break up the emotional tension with a wisecrack this time. He's becoming more and more like big brother all the time. Awwww.....

Dean: Sam, we are not gonna make the same mistake all over again.
Sam: you said that, but what does that even mean?
Dean: dont you see a pattern here? Dad's deal, my deal and now this? everytime one of us is up the creek, the other is begging to sell their soul. that's all this is, man. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. you know what it's paved with and you know where it's going.
Sam: Dean, what are you afraid's gonna happen? this is me. i can handle it. and if it'll save you...
Dean: why even risk it?
Sam: because you're my brother. because you did the same thing for me.
Dean: i know and look how that turned out. all i'm saying...Sammy....all i'm saying is that you're my weak spot. you are. and i'm yours.
Sam: you dont mean that. we're...we're family.
Dean: i know. and those evil sob's know it too. what we'll do for each other, how far we'll go. they're using it against us.
Sam: so what? we just stop looking out for each other?
Dean: we stop being martyrs. we stop spreading it for these demons. we take this knife and we go after Lilith our way. the way Dad taught us to. and if we go down, we go down swinging. what do you think?
Sam: i think you totally should have been jamming Eye of the Tiger right there.
Dean: oh bite me. i totally rehearsed that speech too.

Happy, peaceful neighborhood....except...it's not.
Things aren't normal at the Fremont household...dead body on the floor, nervous adults in the kitchen....oh, and a little girl with a blood-covered dress. Eeep!
Yep, it's Lilith, having some “fun”.

Whoah, the car won't start...
Heh...Bobby's smart.
Second Best line of the night: “Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?” Heehee! Bobby, you're awesome!
Love his line about family not ending in blood.....
Dean looks so much older in this scene....you can really see the lines on his face and he looks like the weight of the world is weighing him down....so appropriate.

Dean won't let Sam say his goodbyes yet...doesn't want his last day to be “socially awkward”. No chick-flick moments for Dean. True to character all the way.
He goes for the Bon Jovi instead, which “rocks...on occasion”. Hee!
One of the best brother moments ever: the boys singing together in the car! Love it! It's fun and hilarious ('cause the singing's pretty bad LOL), but then Dean's mood turns serious....*wibble*

Ooop....the Impala's got a tail light out...which a waiting cop happens to notice.
Dean pulls over, saying they're not in a hurry....um.....excuse me??? A few hours left! Maybe he's resigned himself to his fate. Sam doesn't seem to notice the statement, either.
Oooh...Dean can see demons now!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Car 54...heehee....that's cute.
“Glimpsin' the B side” Love that one, too.

Back to Lilith and her freaky birthday party.
Who else was amused by seeing the twizzlers and gummy bears on the table? Heehee! :D
Uh, oh...Lilith's not amused by grandpa anymore. *crunch*

These demons must look pretty bad if Dean's even grossed out by them.
I like how even to save himself, Dean doesn't want to kill a little girl he knows is a demon.
Does anyone know what story the mom reads to Lilith? It sounds kinda cool. :)

Bobby blessing the water system....cool!
Oooh, Ruby's loose....ouch! Don't mess up his face like that!
Just how did she get out anyway?
Btw, this little thing about Dean calling Ruby a bitch....well, Sam does it too. Just thought I'd point that out.
Demons are closing in....ha! Holy water sprinklers to the rescue! Love Dean's triumphant laugh before heading inside.

As usual, the boys split up...bad, bad.....that's always bad guys.
Love Jared being all ninja-stealthy with the knife...that was cool to watch.
Love the tension over having to kill a little girl...the mom begging him to do it and Sam hesitating.
Thank goodness, too...'cause Dean comes in the nick of time to stop him, saying it's not Lilith anymore.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sam tries a last ditch effort to take up Ruby on her offer and Dean says enough.
This scene kills me...every. time.

Sam: what do you need me to do? theres gotta be something. there's gotta be some way. whatever it is, i'll do it. Dean, i'm not gonna let you go to hell!
Dean: yes you are! yes you are. i'm sorry. i mean, this is all my fault. i know that. but what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. it's only gonna kill you.
Yep, that line right there...*wibble*
Sam: what am i supposed to do?
Dean: keep fighting. take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you, okay? and remember what i taught you.

The brothers getting all teary-eyed together right as the clocks strike midnight....*sniffle*

Dean sees the Hellhound....oooh.
They make a run for a room....Goofer Dust...yes!!!!

Ruby wants the knife back, but Dean realizes that's not Ruby...it's Lilith.
She throws Sam against the wall and Dean across the table....
Lilith likes Ruby's grown up body...she's sent Ruby “far, far away”.....hmmmmm.

Oooh...Sam gets to kiss a demon this time.
Oh, man....this is it....Eeeeep!
Dean....God....poor Dean!!!! He's just...ripped apart...it's so vicious and bloody and painful to see. And Sam...poor Sam unable to do anything more than scream and agonize for his brother!
Lilith sees her chance and attacks, white light coming from her hand...

The cruelest, longest commercial break in TV then begins....Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We return with Lilith stopping her attack and Sam still cowering on the floor unharmed.
She looks as stunned as Sam is.
Looks like he somehow disabled her powers, but she escapes before he can kill her with the knife.

Ruby's body falls to the floor next to Dean's.
Oh, Dean....and Sam....*cries*
Jared does a good job here...the pain is so heartbreaking and raw, but not too over the top.

The push in on Dean's eye is very cool!
Oh, man...so this is Hell...
Dean!!!!!! It really is like Hellhaiser....yikes.
Chained , bleeding, and calling out for Sam.....*weeps*
That last final scream from Dean....I'm...I'm done. *sobs*

Note: Some quotes taken from hearts_stars_xo's comments on supernatural_tv.


I knew months ahead of time that Dean was most likely going to die in the season finale. There was really no other option. It was the best choice for the character and the show. It had to happen. I was all for it, even though I love Dean with all my fangirly heart. However, even as prepared as I thought I was, I still didn't expect his death to be as violent and emotionally scarring as it was. The deaths in Mystery Spot seemed like a cake walk compared to this one. And having poor Sam there to witness his brother's violent end was even worse. I didn't cry when Dean was killed (because, I did expect him to die), but watching it was painful...and still is. Then to see Sam's tearful reaction and Dean's torment in hell....it tears me apart. At the same time I'm so proud of Kripke and the show for taking that step and going that far. It's bold and a spectacular way to end the season.

As for the episode as a whole, I loved every minute of it. It had everything a fan could wish for: Bobby being the gruff, but loving surrogate father, Sam wanting to do anything to save his brother, Dean retaining everything that we've come to love about his character to the bitter end, brotherly moments galore - from humorous to heartbreaking, tension, scary moments, fights, cool effects, and an end that will be discussed from now until the start of S4. It was...perfect. The masterful CU shots by Kim Manners were amazing as always. Everyone looked beautiful. Jensen rocked the acting, as he always does, finding all the right emotions for Dean in his final hours. Jared did equally well. It's great to really see him match Jensen in the quality of his acting. He's still got a few weak spots, but he's come so far since Season One. The writing, of course, by Kripke, was beyond brilliant. He hit on everything one could want, giving the fans the things we've been wanting to see, while setting us up for the next season. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!! *wraps show in a big bear hug*

So that's it, until sometime in September (please don't make us wait until October again, CW!). Of course there's a lot of questions to be answered. Right now, my most urgent one is how on earth they're going to bring Dean back? Because of course he's coming back. It's just a matter of when and how. So here's my questions:

How will they bring Dean back? Sam going darkside? Hunting down Lilith to release Dean?

How will Dean go back in his body when it's ripped apart? What will they do with the body? Maybe Bobby has a big freezer?...heh

How did Ruby escape the Devil's Trap? I have a possible idea for this...if you look at where Dean put the DT, there's breaks in it from the old floorboards....just an observation I made while capping.

When did Lilith possess Ruby? I think it may have been when Ruby and Sam split up searching the rooms upstairs, but it's hard to say. Maybe it was even before that.

Will Dean remember anything of Hell? I really hope he does....otherwise, again, what was the point? He needs to be effected by his time down there.

How long will Dean be in Hell? I suspect Dean will either be brought back in the season premiere, which will actually be quite some time in the timeline of the show, or he'll be brought back a few episodes into the season.

Will Dean come back as a demon? They kind of keep hinting at it, with the demon!Dean bit in the episode's teaser, but it's hard to say what will happen. Personally, I hope not. I don't know if I could handle Dean being a demon. I know he'll be different after being in Hell, but I don't want him to be too different. Besides, Dean becoming something he hates...hasn't the poor guy been through enough?

Will Ruby return? I have no idea. I would think her "body" would be dead though, considering she was shot with the Colt in "Sin City" by Bobby. Maybe she'll come back and possess someone else? Of course, demons can possess corpses (like in Mag 7), so who knows?

In conclusion, I'm happy with Season Three. Even though it was short and had some bumps because of the writer's strike, it was filled with good, strong episodes. It continued the rise in the show's quality that was started in Season Two. I trust Kripke to bring us more brilliant episodes in Season Four! :D

Supernatural Rules!!!!!